Manchester City begin their FA Cup journey on Saturday when they host League Two side Salford City in the third round.
The Cityzens have endured months of mediocrity and underperformance, but have bounced back with back-to-back wins over Leicester City and West Ham United in Premier League. With games against Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal over the next month, Saturday could give Pep Guardiola the chance to rest a number of first-team players.
Salford, who are owned by a group of ex-pats Manchester United players, will aim to spring a huge surprise on last season's FA Cup finalists. Karl Robinson's side have won their last six unbeaten and will be full of confidence heading into the Etihad Stadium.
Here it is 90 minutes guide to Man City against Salford.
Man City vs Salford H2H Record
This is the first competitive match between Man City and Salford.
Current form (all competitions)
|
Man City |
Salford |
|---|---|
|
Man City 4-1 West Ham – 04/01/25 |
MK Dons 0-1 Salford – 04/01/25 |
|
Leicester 0-2 Man City – 29/12/24 |
Harrogate 0-2 Salford – 01/01/25 |
|
Man City 1-1 Everton – 26/12/24 |
Salford 1-0 Morecambe – 29/12/24 |
|
Aston Villa 2-1 Man City – 21/12/24 |
Salford 3-0 Barrow – 26/12/24 |
|
Man City 1-2 Man Utd – 15/12/24 |
Accrington 0-2 Salford – 21/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website |
|
United States |
ESPN+, the ESPN app |
|
Canada |
Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Now Plus |
Man City are likely to be without a host of key players for the visit of Salford. John Stones and Ruben Dias are making progress in recovering from their injuries but remain sidelined, while Ederson is unlikely to feature despite recently returning to training.
Oscar Bobb is closing in on a return but is still a long way from his comeback from a broken leg, while Rodri will almost certainly miss the remainder of the campaign with a torn ACL.
Youngsters like Nico O'Reilly, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and James McAtee could have invaluable opportunities.
Man City predicted formation against Salford (3-2-4-1): Ortega; Walker, Simpson-Pusey, Guardiol; O'Reilly, Gundogan; Dock, McAtee, Nunes, Grealish; Haaland.
Salford have climbed the League Two table in recent weeks and are now in third place as they chase automatic promotion to the third tier. Despite their struggle for league success, they are still likely to field their strongest team at the Etihad.
Man City supporters may recognize a few faces in the Salford outfit on Saturday. ex Liverpool Academy product Ben Woodburn is an injury doubt, while former Everton defender Luke Garbutt will line up in defence. 35-year-old Wales international James Chester played briefly for Man Utd as a youth before moves to Hull City and Aston Villa.
Salford predicted formation against Man City (3-5-2): Young; Edwards, Negro, Berkoe; Taylor, Fornah, Ashley, Lund, Garbutt; Kouassi, Stockton.
Man City have an excellent opportunity not only to progress to the fourth round, but to secure a third consecutive victory, resting key players. Salford are not to be underestimated, but Guardiola's side should secure a nice win on paper.
Man City's defensive woes offer Robinson's side the opportunity to score at the Etihad, but it is likely to be nothing more than a consolation as the hosts look for safe passage to the next round.