Pep Guardiola and Manchester City could be on course for football's ultimate awkward moment in the Champions League last four
One of the oldest cliches in football, particularly popular with players and managers at this time of year, is that 'we mustn't look too far ahead' and, instead, should 'take each game as it comes'
It makes sense - focus on the future can distract from the present, and derail even the best-prepared teams.
Yet Manchester City and Bayern Munich have both ignored that mantra - not only have they already started looking to next season, they have announced their plans to the world. And that could lead to one of the most awkward situations European football has ever witnessed.
Pep Guardiola faces a potentially awkward clash with his future team in the Champions League semi-final
Manchester City reached the last four thanks to Kevin de Bruyne's goal which saw off PSG on Tuesday night
At the end of this month, and in the first week in May, there is every chance that Pep Guardiola's Bayern could face his next club City.
And make no mistake, that will throw up some uncomfortable situations.
First, think about the manager himself. Guardiola knows his time in Germany will be judged not by the three titles it has earned Bayern in his three seasons, nor by the beautiful, and in many ways game-changing football he has engineered.
For a man with Pep's CV, only Champions League success will be enough. And that could well mean that he has to beat City, either in the last four or the final, to justify his appointment - remember, he replaced Jupp Heynckes in Munich, who had just won the big-eared trophy.
If he fails to do so, more questions will be asked, not only about whether he is really the golden manager he has been made out to be - or merely a man who has inherited great teams - but also about whether it was fair to move Manuel Pellegrini aside to make way for him. Defeat at the hands of the man he is replacing would be a huge personal embarrassment.
But there is another twist - if City's league form, which has been patchy to say the least since the turn of the year, doesn't improve, a Champions League triumph may be the only way they can secure their place at the top table of European football next season.
For Pep then, this could come down to a game where either his own reputation will be severely dented, or his chance to compete at the top level next season will be removed.
There is no question he will, as he must, give his loyalty to his current club - but it can't be a comfortable situation to be in.
But if you thought it was awkward for the manager, what of his future players? Already, since the announcement that Pellegrini was on his way out, debates have begun over who Guardiola will keep and who he will let go.
An impressive performance against your future manager is one way to prove that you belong at a club - but how well will it go down if you celebrate wildly after scoring against his current team? Or if you injure a player he has been working with for three years?
For City's players, too, then, it could be an uncomfortable night or two.
The club's hierarchy also face a slightly awkward time. City's owners have been desperate for Champions League success ever since they took over, and this is the closest they have come so far.
For the men charged with leading the Manchester club to the summit of European football, this represents a huge step on the way to glory. They will be desperate to go all the way.
Yet, if the do so, they will be proving, decisively, that the man they have decided to replace was, in fact, up to the job - and the man they are replacing him with could not best him, even with a squad which is, on paper at least, significantly stronger.
Either they suffer another season falling short of their stated goals - and end it with the Capital One Cup as their only trophy - or they look foolish in their long and desperate pursuit of the man we have repeatedly been told represents their best chance to conquer Europe.
Of course, it is highly possible that none of this will come to pass. Bayern are far from through to the last four, with only a slender lead over Benfica from the first leg, and injury concerns ahead of their trip to Estadio da Luz. They are favourites to progress, but this is a year that has seen far stranger things happen in football.
Even if they do make it through, the chances of City meeting the German champions at the semi-final stage are only one in three. Real Madrid are already in the draw, and either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid will provide a tough test. If the draw does split Pep's clubs, past and present, it would be heavy odds against them both reaching the final.
Pellegrini triumphing over the man he is making way for would create awkwardness for the City hierarchy
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could all stand in the way of the teams meeting in the final
If the clubs do meet, it will create a difficult situation for the City fans against a man about to lead them
But, if they do, perhaps the most awkward situation will be for the fans. How do you respond to a manager in charge of the opposition in the biggest game in your club's history, knowing that next season you will be singing his name?
Do you cheer him when he first arrives on the touchline? Surely not. But neither can you really boo him. Ignoring Pep Guardiola is a difficult thing to do, so you are likely to be left with a sort of half-way unease around a man who is set to take over at your club.
Then, what if his side win - as they are favourites to do should the sides meet. Guardiola will surely celebrate, and there is little more painful for a fan that watching others take pleasure at your misfortune. How easily will they forgive him? How quickly?
Perhaps it would be best for everyone involved if Benfica pull off a shock on Wednesday night.
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