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Manchester City are on course to retain the Premier League title as they head to 17th-placed Brighton knowing that matching Liverpool's result will be enough.

Having won their last 13 games in the league to earn a one-point lead over Jurgen Klopp's team, expectations are that they will make it over the line this weekend. Should they do so, every member of the squad that has played in at least five of the 38 games will be invited onto a hastily-erected stage to collect a medal.

The 21 in line to pick one up are, by order of most appearances: Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kyle Walker, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, Nicolas Otamendi, Vincent Kompany, Phil Foden, Aleks Zinchenko, Fabian Delph, Danilo, and Benjamin Mendy.

There is also a medal guaranteed for the reserve goalkeeper, so Aro Muric - having been on the bench for all but the first two games following Claudio Bravo's injury - will hope to be included as an automatic pick; the remaining medals are free to be distributed among players and staff as the club please.

Unlike last season when Foden and Brahim Diaz were not presented with a medal because their fifth appearance came after the final home game, there are no players who can meet the criteria at Brighton.

The criteria for medals shows how the City squad has evolved from the one that smashed records on their way to 100 points last season.

Hailed for the depth he is able to call upon, Guardiola actually has two fewer players eligible for a medal this year. Gone are Yaya Toure, Eliaquim Mangala (both nine appearances) and Diaz (five), while club record signing Mahrez (26 appearances) has eased the workload on the wings.

Foden has further integrated into the squad; his start against Leicester was his 13th league game, marking appearances in more than a third of the team's fixtures.

The players Guardiola calls on most has also changed significantly this year. During the Centurions season, the five given the most starts were Ederson (36), De Bruyne (36), Fernandinho (33), Otamendi (33) and Walker (32).

As a result of injuries and form, only Ederson (37) keeps his place in the top five 12 months on with Laporte (33), Bernardo, Sterling and Aguero (all 30) rising through the ranks.

With his most-used players featuring less often and his least-used players featuring more often, Guardiola has moved away from the extremes and beefed up the middle of his squad to give them the best chance yet of coping with the demands of trying to win four competitions.