Manchester City host Birmingham City at the Etihad Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday. Pep Guardiola’s side sit 5th in the Premier League table – four point behind Liverpool with two games in hand over the leaders.
On the other hand, Birmingham find themselves all the way down in 18th place in the Championship standings – four points above the relegation zone.
ON THE VOLLEY! 💥🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/gilb2gGwiQ— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 7, 2021
ON THE VOLLEY! 💥🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/gilb2gGwiQ
Man City head into this clash on a 12-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, including three straight wins in the Premier League.
In fact, Guardiola’s men have won five of their previous seven league games, with draws coming in the other two matches.
Last time out, Man City beat rivals Manchester United 2-0 in the EFL Cup semi-final with a dominant display at Old Trafford.
The Cityzens enjoyed 61% possession and racked up 12 shots, while goals from John Stones and Fernandinho got the job done.
On the back of such a positive display, it is difficult to imagine Man City slipping up against off-form Birmingham on Sunday.
Indeed, the Birmingham have failed to win any of their previous six games, with five defeats and one draw in that time.
It is also worth pointing out that Aitor Karanka’s men have failed to score in each of their last three outings, conceding six goals in the process.
Given that statistic, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that only four teams in the Championship have netted fewer goals than Birmingham this season.
Even if Birmingham were in good form, this would be a hugely testing match. But with the Blues struggling in the second tier, Sunday will be even tougher.
Head-to-head: Manchester City and Birmingham last faced each other back in 2011, with Man City claiming a 2-0 victory on that occasion.
In fact, th Cityzens have only lost one of their previous five games against Birmingham, with three wins and a draw coming along the way.
Team news: It is no secret that Man City’s squad has been hit hard by coronavirus. Ederson, Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres could all miss out on Sunday.
As for Birmingham, they have no fresh injury concerns head into the third round. It remains to be seen whether or not Karanka will chose to rest some key players.
Let’s be honest – anything other than a Manchester City win on Sunday would be a massive shock, especially when you consider the contrasting form of the two sides.
Forebet predicts that Man City will net over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet against the Championship visitors.