Manchester City's FA Cup adventure doesn't take priority over its Champions League journey.
Manuel Pellegrini admitted Friday that he'll field a young side if City's FA Cup tie at Chelsea is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 21, as the Citizens will travel to Ukraine one day later for the first leg of their Champions League tie against Dynamo Kyiv.
"I'm very worried for a lot of things," Pellegrini said, according to the Guardian. "First and foremost, if we have to play that game on that Sunday, we will not play with our (full-strength) team, we will play with a young team. We have to travel to Ukraine on Monday, so I don't see any reason why we can't play on the Saturday. Chelsea play their Champions League game on the Tuesday before. So if we have to play on the Sunday, we will have to see which players will have to play.
"I don't want to analyse why, but I think if we have to play against Chelsea four days before, we should play on the Saturday. If we play on the Sunday, we have to put Manchester City's interests first. For me, I must do what I feel is best for the club, to play with the strongest team we can in the Champions League. Also, if we continue in the FA Cup, we will have to postpone two Premier League games, and there is no option to play those games in midweek."
The dates for the FA Cup's fifth-round ties have yet to be confirmed. However, the BBC, which possesses the first choice of what fixtures are broadcast, may opt to schedule the match on Sunday during its prime-time slot. All games will take place between Feb. 19-22.