Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that he is not fussed about the prospect of an FA Cup replay with Blackburn Rovers, despite their already packed fixture list.
A Costel Pantilimon error allowed Rovers to come from behind and earn a third-round draw at Ewood Park, and the second meeting between the two sides is due to take place later this month.
City already have a two-legged Capital One Cup tie with West Ham United and three Premier League fixtures to negotiate in January, and were also due to go to the United Arab Emirates for a friendly with Al Ain.
Manager Pellegrini has hinted that the exhibition match will be cancelled to make room for Blackburn's visit to the Etihad Stadium, but the Chilean tactician has stressed that he has the depth of squad to cope with such a demanding schedule.
"You never know what is better," he told reporters. "We were going to be travelling to Abu Dhabi and having a friendly match there, now we are going to play against Blackburn Rovers at home.
"What is better? It is impossible to know. It [the replay] is not an extra problem. We have to play another match and have the squad to do it but we will continue making the rotation, that is better for the squad."
Trips to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are among City's top-flight matches in January.
Joe Fish
