Chelsea are the opposition in consecutive home games for Man City due the effect of the midweek weather. It seems longer ago than 12 days that Chelsea were inflicting the first domestic defeat of the season at the Etihad on Manchester City. Prior to that game, settled by Branislav Ivanovic's left-foot screamer, City had been behind in a home league game for just eight minutes all season.

Both clubs have won this competition in the last three years. City tasted success in 2011 and it is a reflection of football's modern priorities that Chelsea's Wembley triumph in 2012 against Liverpool was completely overshadowed by events in Munich a fortnight later.

Now the Champions League is drawing the gaze again and City, in particular, will have one eye on Tuesday's visit of Barcelona going into this fifth-round tie.

The current Barclays Premier League leaders enjoy a 60 per cent success rate in knockout competitions against the Citizens, including the first ever in the FA Cup 99 years almost to the day. (See 'We Have History' section tomorrow for more.)

Man City ended Chelsea's interest at the semi-final stage at neutral Wembley last season (losing in the final to Wigan) but on the home ground of top-flight opponents the Londoners are a tough nut to crack.

The Blues' most recent defeat in another Premier League side's stadium was way back in 2005 at St James' Park during José Mourinho's first season, Newcastle United winning the fifth round tie by the only goal. Chelsea closed the game with nine men as Wayne Bridge had been carried off on a stretcher after a bad challenge from Alan Shearer andCarlo Cudicini was sent off (resulting in him missing the Carling Cup final).

Tuesday evening produced almost the same old story at the Hawthorns: Chelsea go ahead then allow West Bromwich Albion to build up a head of steam and hit back. On our last two visits the Throstles have run out winners, so we should be grateful for small mercies. That is now one win in five visits to what has become a bogey ground for the Blues.

The Citizens seemed jolted by that loss and reverted to their prosaic away displays of early season in the next match at Norwich, a lethargic 0-0. After that, apart from a maths lesson from Mourinho, the headache Manuel Pellegrini did not want was the postponement of their midweek home game with Sunderland. It was called off one hour before kick-off for public safety reasons amid gale-force winds.

The weather has added to increasingly complex logistics for the Mancunians as the season reaches a crucial phase. Both Capital One Cup finalists had already been forced to rearrange games scheduled for 1/2 March: the Manchester derby was due to be played that weekend, but is now on Tuesday 25 March.

Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup games are not allowed to clash with UEFA matchnights - the FA was fined a year ago for failing to prevent this happening. That rules out available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays until mid-April, so the rescheduled City-Sunderland league game may come just before the Citizens' possibly pivotal trip to Anfield.

Chelsea will have played two more league games than City by then and will hope the pressure to regain ground will start preying on the minds of the Mancunians.

It was fixture congestion José Mourinho had in mind recently when he said cup replays are the only thing he would be keen to change in English football. Should the scores be level after 90 minutes on Saturday, the date for a return game at Stamford Bridge has yet to be set.

A victory for either side would also mean shunting league games booked for 8 March to a later date: Chelsea have a derby with Tottenham, City are currently hosting Aston Villa.

The draw for the FA Cup quarter-final will be on ITV on Sunday at around 3.30pm.



- Match preview by chelseafc.com