Monday will be a key day for the immediate future of Manchester City as the Court of Arbitration for Sport announces its verdict on the club's potential ban from the Champions League.
Despite the fact that Manchester City still have a second-leg tie against Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League to come, it is arguable that City's biggest result of the season will be revealed on Monday.
At 09:30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will announce its verdict from the three-day appeal hearing that took place in June into the "serious breaches" of Uefa's financial regulations that City were found guilty of in February.
In terms of a best-case scenario, the club will be cleared of all charges and their two-year European ban will be overturned.
On the contrary, if City are found to have deliberately cheated the system, the suspension will stand and they won't be able to participate in European competition until 2022-23.
Speaking on Off The Ball, Brian Kerr thinks that if City go on to win this season's Champions League, Pep Guardiola may stay on as manager, regardless of the decision that's reached by CAS.
"I think a lot will depend on how the rest of the season goes. I had them as one of the favourites for the Champions League. The draw was tough, but the draw will always be tough when you reach this stage.
"If they can get by Real Madrid, they'll be one of the favourites. If they win it, I think it might impact Guardiola's think and make him think that they've been harshly treated.
"If they're out of the Champions League for a year, I think he might stick with them."
Manchester City
If CAS uphold their decision and suspend City, Kerr believes that the club's finances will not take a serious hit.
"I don't think it will affect their finances. There seems to be a limitless amount of money there, they haven't been spending too wildly in the last season or two. The financial fair play has held them back a bit," Kerr said.
After losing their Premier League crown to Liverpool, it's likely that Pep Guardiola will be looking to revamp his squad during the summer. Kerr feels that City could be making changes in all areas of their team.
"They do need to do a little bit of maintenance to their squad, it seems like Aguero's time is running down and I'm not certain if Gabriel Jesus is good enough to step in.
"Certainly, the centre-back problem is one that they've to deal with. They might need a replacement for Silva in the middle of the field, although Bernardo can fill in there.
"Even if the decision goes against them, I don't think it will have that much of an effect. They can survive the financial loss and it might bring back their focus to the Premier League.
"It could help them launch a real battle next year against Liverpool and Manchester United - who seem like they're getting their act together. Chelsea should be getting better too under Frank Lampard."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
