Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City side learned their fate for The Emirates FA Cup fourth round on Monday night, and the Citizens will be pleased with the result: a home tie against either League 2 minnows Wycombe Wanderers, or Premier League strugglers Aston Villa.
Their previous game - an away tie against fellow Premier League side Norwich City at Carrow Road - was a bit of a mismatch, with Pellegrini's side running out 3-0 winners in convincing fashion. It was a result inspired by star striker Sergio Agüero, with further goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and summer signing Kevin de Bruyne putting the gloss on a comfortable win.
Heading in the right direction
The Citizens have been in good form of late, not always at their glittering best but doing enough to secure all three points and grinding out victories like champions do. Recent wins over Swansea City and Sunderland - with a decent 0-0 draw against Leicester City too - have seen Pellegrini's side stay within contention of winning the league this season.
City now sit third, just one point behind surprise package Leicester, and their recent 2-1 victory over Watford - coming from 1-0 behind to score twice in the last 10 minutes, has shown the grit and determination they will need if they are to oust their fellow competitors come May.
Battling on all fronts
In the meantime, City are battling on a number of other fronts. Despite losing 2-1 to Everton in the League Cup semi-final first leg, the Citizens are more than in contention of making the final. On February 24 they will also play the first of two ties against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, with a shot at the last eight up for grabs.
Pellegrini, then, will be keen to keep his side's options open in the FA Cup too, and a welcome draw against either lowly Wycombe or struggling Aston Villa will allow him to perhaps field a weakened side - while still giving his side a good chance of progressing to the next round.
If Wycombe, on the other hand, can see off a Villa side in dire straights this season - they will earn a lucrative and exciting opportunity to play the Citizens at the City of Manchester Stadium in front of tens of thousands of fans.
Elsewhere
In other FA Cup news, the current holders Arsenal will face Burnley at home, while Guus Hiddink's Chelsea will have an away tie against either Northampton Town or MK Dons. For Louis van Gaal and Manchester United, a visit to Pride Park to face Derby County offers a potential banana skin if the Red Devils are to progress.
Here's the fourth round draw in full (ties to be played the weekend 29-31 Jan):
West Brom or Bristol City v Peterborough
Eastleigh or Bolton v Leeds United
Arsenal v Burnley
Derby v Manchester United
Huddersfield or Reading v Walsall
Exeter or Liverpool v West Ham
Wycombe or Aston Villa v Manchester City
Shrewsbury v Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest v Watford
Carlisle or Yeovil v Everton
Crystal Palace v Stoke City
Oxford United v Newport County or Blackburn Rovers
Ipswich or Portsmouth v AFC Bournemouth
Colchester v Tottenham or Leicester City
Bury or Bradford v Hull City
Northampton or MK Dons v Chelsea