It has become the week that often defines just how many trophies Manchester City can win in a season and while the Champions League remains Pep Guardiola's Kryptonite, the FA Cup semi-final weekend can be just as frustrating.
It was telling that when Guardiola walked in for his press conference half-an-hour after booking a sixth semi-final in seven seasons on Saturday, his first answer began with a look ahead to the schedule. "Always we play after Champions League quarter-finals," Guardiola said of the cup semi-finals.
It has been a problem for them previously and in the five semi-finals they have reached, they have lost four. "Even the year we won we struggled," added the City manager. "It was against Brighton, not really good." READ MORE: Haaland has scored 10 goals the same way to embarrass City critics In Guardiola's first season City lost to Arsenal in extra-time but had gone out of the Champions League to Monaco in the last-16.
Since beating Watford 6-0 to win the only FA Cup of the Guardiola era, the Blues have fallen at Wembley in the semi-final in three successive seasons.