It is a tie that fans would have wanted to see in the semi-finals or even finals, and certainly not at the fifth round. Unfortunately, scheduling fate has not smiled down on them as two of England's biggest clubs, Chelsea and Manchester City will clash for a spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals later today, meaning that after 90 - or possibly more - minutes of action one of these two powerhouses will see their FA Cup tournament come to an end.
Naturally, both Guus Hiddink and Manuel Pellegrini would like to add this trophy to their respective cabinets, especially since neither the Dutch nor Chilean tacticians will be on the bench next season. But which manager has more at stake in this tie? Which coach will have more riding on this game, given their respective campaigns to date? Let's have a look.
Chelsea: An opportunity to save face after a disappointing campaign
It goes without saying that this has been one of the most disappointing campaigns many Chelsea fans have seen in recent times. The fall from grace for the Blues has been nothing short of staggering and to date, given that they have yet to crack the top half of the table, their chances at successfully defending their Premier League title have evaporated.
Although they are no longer in the Capital One Cup, Chelsea still have the Champions League and the FA Cup to play for. With a 2-1 deficit to overturn against PSG, the Blues will not have it easy at Stamford Bridge, and even should they overpower Les Parisiens, they will likely be facing an even tougher opponent in the quarter-finals - perhaps even Barcelona as they seem to be unable to avoid a pairing with the Blaugrana in the latter stages of this tournament.
The FA Cup, on the other hand, has been the trophy Hiddink has placed all his efforts into; having won it back in 2009, Chelsea's interim manager knows that a win in the domestic cup will earn the Blues a spot in the Champions League - regardless of how they end up finishing in the Premier League table.
To that end, he will be expected to field his strongest line-up possible against Manchester City with the clear objective of making it to the quarter-finals and beyond. The team's unbeaten streak across all competitions may have come to an end in Paris last week, but Hiddink has made it clear that he is taking the FA Cup tournament seriously, having fielded a strong starting XI against lower-tier sides like Scunthorpe and MK Dons to ensure that his side progresses to the next round.
Given that they do have a vital road goal in hand against PSG, and they achieved a decent result against Laurent Blanc's side sans the services of key players like John Terry, Nemanja Matic, and Kurt Zouma - with Matic and Terry likely being available for the home leg - Chelsea's Champions League dreams are not over yet.
But, realistically, given their overall form this season, the FA Cup represents the most realistic chance of redeeming themselves after what has been a frustrating campaign for the team and their supporters. And whilst in past seasons, this tournament would have just been a mere formality or an add-on, the Blues will be treating this match like a major final with the intent on making it to the actual event later this season.
Manchester City: Still on course for an unprecedented quadruple
Meanwhile, Manchester City are in the finals of the Capital One Cup, which will be decided between them and Liverpool next week. The Citizens, who have endured disappointment in the Champions League have finally received a lucky break and received a very favorable draw against Dynamo Kiev. And as Manuel Pellegrini's side will be well aware - having seen the Blues deal with them in the group stage - the Ukrainians should not, on paper at least, pose too many problems. Moreover, due to their make-up of their league - whose scheduling is quite similar to Russian football's top flight - Dynamo Kiev have been out of action since December, meaning that they will be quite rusty when it comes to competitive action.
Still, that will not be a game City should take lightly, especially since they will be traveling to their opponents' home turf. And although they have been out of action for some time, they could still cause some problems; just look at Zenit who put up an impressive fight against Portuguese outfit Benfica, who only were able to break the deadlock after the Russian powerhouse had a man sent off very late in the game.
In the Premier League, Pellegrini's troops have fallen off the pace slightly, having suffered two back-to-back losses and now sit in fourth, six points behind surprise packages Leicester City. And as such, they will certainly be loath to make it three in all competitions ahead of their Champions League match in three days' time.
With the spectre of Pep Guardiola looming over Pellegrini's tenure at the Etihad, the Chilean will be keen on wrapping up his time with the Manchester giants on a high note. That, obviously, means to win some silverware, and the more, the merrier. A win today would certainly lift the squad's spirits ahead of their trip to Kiev, which will then be followed by their Capital One Cup final against Liverpool on February 28th. Four days later, they will again face the Reds, this time in a must-win Premier League tie at Anfield if they want to have any hopes of keeping their title aspirations alive.
So, yes, in essence, a win for City at Stamford bridge could create a positive domino effect; consequently, a loss would represent another set-back and reduce their quadruple hopes to now shooting for a trio of trophies. But with all things being equal, the Citizens are in a much better position than the Blues, especially given that they are already in one final and still do have a shot at continuing their interesting knack of winning the Premier League title in even-numbered years (having done so in 2012 and in 2014).
And although they will face a tougher examination in the Champions League once they arrive at the quarter-finals stage, at the very least, there are still at least two trophies within their grasp.
The same, cannot be said for Chelsea, who, despite showing some improvements domestically, will face an uphill battle to even qualify for a Europa League spot, are out of the Capital One Cup, and also face uncertainty in the Champions League. Hence, given that, if asked, "Which manager has the most at stake in this match? Is it Manuel Pellegrini or Guus Hiddink?" the answer should be crystal clear.
A defeat for Manchester City in this clash will be disappointing. But a loss for Chelsea, given their struggles this season, would be utterly devastating. As such, Hiddink, having won this same trophy seven seasons ago, will be doing his utmost best to make sure the Blues take one step closer towards being at Wembley when the kick-off whistle is blown in exactly three months' time from today.
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