Everton's loss to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby was an unfortunate one, mostly due to the lateness of the Reds' winner.
But the match saw two of Everton's key players -- center back Jarrad Branthwaite and striker Beto -- go down with injuries, although the defender's was a longer term issue than Beto's.
Beto was forced to miss the Blues' last match at West Ham, but David Moyes recent press conference previewing today's match against Manchester City at the Hill Dickinson Stadium indicated that the striker was cleared from the concussion.
That being the case, the Guinea-Bissau international must step back into the starting role he's held down for the last several weeks. Thierno Barry didn't look comfortable in replacing Beto against the Hammers, and is beginning to strike a problematic figure on Merseyside.
Beto, on the other hand, was in the midst of a five-goal in three matches streak, including a brace in the 3-0 win at home against Chelsea and the equalizer in the derby before Liverpool's last winner.
There may be hope yet for Barry, who is still just 23, but at the moment, it's pretty clear who Everton's in-form striker is, and Moyes must lean into that fact with City coming to Merseyside.
The Cityzens have plenty to play for, as they sit just six points behind Arsenal, although they still have a game in hand over the Gunners after today's match.
The hosts are also still in the running for a European position, sitting just four points behind Brighton for the final spot as things currently stand, although there's also a decent chance that 8th place might also secure a place.
That doesn't mean that Everton are suddently set to become expansive, especially against a side like City, but it does mean the Toffees will need to take advantage of the opportunities when they come.
In that regard, Beto is probably a better fit for this matchup anyway, as his hold-up play can be called upon to secure the ball when Everton won't have much of it. He started the reverse fixture, a match that the Blues lost 2-0 at the Etihad.
It feels unlikely that Moyes will go the other way on this, but it's pretty clear that if Beto is healthy, he should be the starting striker from here until the end of the season.
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