Manchester City received a favourable draw for the FA Cup fourth round as they take on League Two Cheltenham. The Cityzens head into the match in great form.
Pep Guardiola’s team – who were semifinalists last term in the FA Cup – defeated Birmingham City 3-0 at the Etihad in the third round. The Cityzens are starting to score goals after struggling in the final third early on this season.
Michael Duff’s Cheltenham team are up to sixth in League Two. They will aim for a giant killing and knocking off Manchester City would be one of the biggest killings possible.
Cheltenham are on a nine-match winless streak. Five straight matches have ended in draws for Cheltenham. That includes their FA Cup third round match versus Mansfield Town which finished 1-1. William Boyle’s goal in extra-time gave Cheltenham the victory in the end.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden is in brilliant form. He is showing just why Guardiola has praised the Englishman for so long. Foden is also starting to play more often, scoring eight times in all competitions. He has the same number of goals as Raheem Sterling to lead the team.
Guardiola is likely to take the match seriously following a midweek Premier League fixture against Aston Villa. The manager is unlikely to have Aymeric Laporte due to a thigh injury. Sergio Aguero is still off self-isolating.
Eric Garcia is back in training but could miss the fixture. The defender was supposed to move to Barcelona this month but the deal could be off due to Barcelona’s presidential election being pushed back to March. Nathan Ake is ruled out through injury.
Cheltenham are led in goals by Andy Williams with six. Alfie May has added four goals of his own and four additional assists. The forward duo will be tasked with trying to breakdown the Manchester City defence.
The League Two club average 1.34 goals scored in all competitions this season while conceding an average of 1.00 goals per match. These teams have not played previously, therefore no historical trends can be gleaned.
There is really only one winner that can be expected from this match before kickoff. Manchester City should have no issue defeating League Two Cheltenham.
The Cityzens defeated Birmingham City 3-0 and should continue their goal scoring resurgence this weekend in the FA Cup fourth round. Cheltenham are on a nine-match winless run and that trend should continue this weekend.