CITY’S youngsters will have nothing to lose when they finally get a crack at Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup today.

Take two of the third-round tie kicks off in London at lunchtime as the young Bantams come up against some of the biggest teenage talents in the country.

Ryan Farrell’s under-19s were due to face Chelsea at Kingstonian last month but it was called off late because of a frozen pitch.

“We are underdogs and you understand why they will be massive favourites,” said City’s Lead Professional Development Phase coach.

“We know how hard the game will be and we’ll have to be at our very best to compete or get anything from it.

“We’re up against some of the best players in England, if not Europe or other parts of the world.

“It was disappointing that we couldn’t get the fixture done before Christmas because we had built up quite a bit of momentum and were performing really well.

“You’re not having to start again as such after the break but when you’ve had a week’s training and then going straight into a game like Chelsea will make it challenging.

“But we’re excited for it and just glad that we can get it in this time. We’ve trained fairly well so let’s see how we can go.

“We’ve got nothing to lose and that’s how we are approaching the game.”

The tie was originally scheduled for December 17 and City were just about to start their pre-match meeting after breakfast when Farrell got the call about the postponement.

“We’d had some confirmation that it would be playable when we went down. The groundsmen had fed back to us that it would be okay.

“But then the officials checked it that morning and said it was unplayable. They did suggest playing the day after and we’d stay over an extra night but the conditions were the exact same.

“We wanted to play it before Christmas but couldn’t land on a date to suit both teams. So we rearranged it for the first week back.

“The lads have stuck to their physical programmes really well. But you do pick up the odd niggle when you get back training and playing and we’ve got a couple of injuries.

“That won’t help us but obviously it’s a great opportunity for players to step up and replace those who are not available now.”

City have not had it easy to make it this far - coming from behind in both previous rounds.

Freddie Jeffreys dispatched a last-gasp thunderbolt in the opener at Morecambe, picking out the top corner from 25 yards to win it in spectacular fashion after Jay Tinsdale had equalised.

And Farrell’s side had to hold their nerve last time against Chester to edge through on penalties at the Diva Stadium.

Again, they fell behind to the hosts before Isaac Robinson levelled from the penalty spot as the game finished 1-1 after extra-time.

City’s top scorer hit the target again from 12 yards in the shoot-out, along with team-mates Noah Wadsworth, Ali Dalghous and keeper Thomas Myles, to clinch a 4-2 triumph.

Farrell said: “We’ve shown a lot of resilience to come through both fixtures. We’ve been up against it.

“They were two different challenges but it will hopefully give us a bit of experience that we can draw upon heading into this game.

“It was tough against Chester knowing that you’ve got Chelsea in the next round with all the hype and excitement around it.

“We weren’t at our best but I’m glad we came through - and on penalties as well, which is another good experience to add to our progression in the tournament.

“As part of our games programme as well, we try and pose certain challenges for the players, whether it be different opposition or environments.

“That’s something we’re keen on and playing tournament football is invaluable in terms of their development.”