Pep Guardiola revealed that exhaustion prevented Manchester City from celebrating in the dressing room after reaching the Champions League semi-final this week.
The 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich secured their last four place and are straight into an FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United on Saturday.
Guardiola claimed that the pace of the second leg against Bayern took plenty out of his players but past failings in the FA Cup have left him uncertain on how much to rotate at Wembley.
‘I have to see, smell, talk and see how the players feel today,’ Guardiola said. ‘They couldn’t really celebrate in the locker room because of how exhausted they were. The people sit down, talk a bit, some regeneration drinks. No music, no photos.
‘I’ve rotated a lot in previous season and it wasn’t good. I have many doubts. Of course they are going to say they want to play but at the same time we have to be sure that the people are in the right condition.
‘It’s not just about this game. We’ve come from many games every three days, knowing that if we lose then we are out. We have to see.
‘It’s amazing to be here, knowing we can reach a final. When you have this desire, your fatigue converts into a positive way, an extra energy. We didn’t have it in Munch but it converted. You fight.
‘Human beings have an incredible ability to regenerate. We have to discover that. If you think it’s not important it’s best not to travel. It’s better to stay in Manchester. You can lose but not the way we have lost in the past. You can swap the negative things in a positive way.’
Guardiola refused to be drawn on the potential of City – who face Arsenal in the Premier League next Wednesday - winning an historic Treble.
‘I’m so happy you spend 10 questions before asking about the Treble,’ he added. ‘We’ll talk about the treble if we’ve won the Premier League and the FA Cup.
‘Look how far away it is. Just 11 games? We’re far away. How many times in this amazing country has it happened? Once. Our neighbours did it. We’re closer not to do it than to do it. The focus is on if we have enough legs for Sheffield United.’
Nathan Ake’s hamstring injury has ruled him out of Saturday’s game, with the defender undergoing tests today to determine how serious the issue is.