Manchester City begin their FA Cup journey on Saturday when they host League Two’s Salford City in the third round.
The Cityzens have endured several 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 may offer Pep Guardiola the chance to rest a number of first-team players.
Salford, which are owned by a cohort of ancients Manchester United players, will aim to pull off an almighty upset of last season’s FA Cup finalists. Karl Robinson’s side have won their last six without conceding 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 – 25/01/04 |
MK Dons 0-1 Salford – 01/04/25 |
|
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 broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website |
|
united states |
ESPN+, ESPN app |
|
canada |
Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Now Plus |
Man City are likely to be without many key players for the visit of Salford. John Stones and Ruben Dias are making progress with their injuries but remain sidelined, while Ederson is unlikely to feature despite recently returning to training.
Oscar Bobb is closing in on a comeback but is still a long way from returning after a broken leg, while Rodri is almost certain to miss the rest of the campaign with an ACL tear.
Youngsters like Nico O’Reilly, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and James McAtee could have invaluable opportunities.
Man City’s predicted line-up against Salford (3-2-4-1): Ortega; Walker, Simpson-Pusey, Guardiol; O’Reilly, Gundogan; Doku, McAtee, Nunes, Grealish; Haaland.
Salford have climbed the League Two table in recent weeks and now sit in third place as they chase automatic promotion to the third tier. Despite their struggle for success in the league, they are likely to have their strongest XI yet at the Etihad.
Man City fans may recognize some faces in the Salford set-up on Saturday. ancient Liverpool Academy product Ben Woodburn is an injury doubt, while former Everton defender Luke Garbutt will line up in defence. James Chester, the 35-year-old Wales international, briefly played for Man Utd as a youth before moving on to Hull City and Aston Villa.
Salford’s predicted line-up against Man City (3-5-2): young; Edwards, Negru, Berkoe; Taylor, Fornah, Ashley, Lund, Garbutt; Kouassi, Stockton.
Man City have an excellent opportunity not only to progress to the fourth round, but also to secure a third consecutive win while resting key players. Salford should not be underestimated, but Guardiola’s side should secure a good win on paper.
Man City’s defensive woes give Robinson’s side the chance to get the scoreline at the Etihad, but it is likely to be little more than a consolation as the hosts look for a safe passage to the next round.
