Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim will enjoy the rare luxury of a clear midweek this week after his side automatically qualified for the last-16 of the Europa League last month.
United finished the league phase of the new Europa League format third in the table, meaning they are one of eight clubs who have automatically progressed to the first knockout round of the competition.
Those who finished between ninth and 24th now face a two-legged play-off tie to try and join United in the last-16, with the first legs of those ties taking place this Thursday evening. The return legs will take place the following Thursday.
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United went into their concluding league phase fixture against FCSB in Bucharest just under a fortnight ago with the knowledge that a win would be enough to see them through. Second half goals from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo sealed a routine 2-0 win.
Amorim wanted to avoid the play-off round at all costs, saying ahead of the 2-1 win over Rangers a week earlier: "We need to win it because it is really important for the classification to try and avoid two games in the play-offs to have more time to train, so everything is important in this moment."
As a result of winning five and drawing three of their eight league phase outings, United can plan for Sunday's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without the distraction of a midweek assignment.
United have experienced something of a fixture marathon since Amorim's first game in charge on November 24, playing 20 games in just under 11 weeks. The longest period they went without a game during that time was just seven days.
That seven-day period came between United's 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, which they had six days to prepare for since their previous outing, and their FA Cup third round triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
United's performances against Liverpool and Arsenal last month rank as the best they have produced under Amorim thus far, meaning it may not be coincidental that they have come on the back of extended periods of time on the Carrington training pitches.
"Obviously, it always helps when you have time to train and to prepare the games a little bit more," said United captain Bruno Fernandes the day after the victory at Arsenal. "It is important."
As a result of qualifying for the Europa League last-16 automatically, nine days will have past since United's last outing when they arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It will mark the longest gap they have had between matches since the November international break.
The Portuguese chief has regularly banged the drum about the importance of getting to spend time on the training pitches at Carrington ever since arriving from Sporting Lisbon three months ago. His 3-4-2-1 system has forced United's players to adapt to a completely new way of life.
Any transitional period is going to feature setbacks, and United have experienced no shortage of those recently, but getting time on the training ground to continue adapting to the head coach's demands and philosophy should only stand the players in good stead.
However, the onus will be on them to prove Amorim right come kick-off time in north London on Sunday afternoon. Once they cross the white line, there is only so much the United head coach can control.
United do not have a midweek fixture again until facing Ipswich Town at Old Trafford on February 26, meaning both this week and next week are clear of a midweek assignment. United face Everton in what will be their very last visit to Goodison Park a-week-on-Saturday, six days after the clash with Spurs, meaning they will get more adequate training time next week.
United's best performances so far under Amorim have followed a solid number of days worth of training, meaning it should not be too great a surprise if United turn up in north London and add to Spurs' woes. However, Amorim needs his players to ensure history does repeat itself.
