It has been a damaging February for the club so far, with back-to-back home defeats against title rivals Leicester City and Tottenham in the Premier League leaving them six points adrift of the leaders.
With that trophy slipping away, attention turned to the FA Cup at the weekend, but Manuel Pellegrini made his priorities clear by naming six teenagers and five full debutants in his side to face the reigning English champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
For many it was seen as sacrificing the FA Cup in favour of the Champions League, and it was no surprise to see Chelsea run out such comfortable winners in the end, cruising through to the quarter-finals courtesy of a 5-1 triumph.
It made it three defeats on the bounce for City, their worst run since November 2010, and you have to go back almost 10 years, long before the current era of success arrived, for the last time they fell to four in a row.
Things look a lot grimmer now than they did just a couple of weeks ago, then, but with the League Cup final against Liverpool fast approaching on Sunday, they could end a torrid month by lifting the first piece of silverware this season.
Victory tonight would also put them in a very strong position to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time ever, and they certainly have their best chance yet on paper. Kiev were widely regarded as one of the kindest draws available to City, who have run into Barcelona at this stage of the past two years.