FA Cup, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City goes on the hunt for confirmation against League Two side Salford.
Pep Guardiola has said there is still a lot of work to be done to get back to the usual standards but Manchester City has given some signs of awakening. Last Saturday, the Cityzens recorded their second consecutive league win, taking the hapless West Ham by storm (5-1) and putting on a performance worthy of the English champion team.
Probably not enough to get back into the title race, which seems to have now gone the way of Liverpool, but it was important to start winning again to chase away the blackest crisis since the Catalan coach sat on the club’s bench.
Shaking off some of the pressure, Guardiola will be able to experiment a bit this weekend: his side will be engaged in the third round of the FA Cup, where they will make their debut against a League Two team, Salford. Turnover yes, but measured: Manchester City needs to regain lost certainties and cannot afford to deploy only elements of the youth teams. The match, in itself, should not hold any big surprises: we imagine a wide success by the Cityzens against a far inferior opponent – they are third in their league anyway – who will come to Etihad Stadium with nothing to lose.
Also on the scene late Saturday afternoon is Leeds, the leader of the Championship, the English cadet league: the Whites are aiming for direct promotion and have proved it in the last month by taking back the top spot (they have not lost since November). The two draws with Blackburn and Hull City, however, have the flavor of a missed opportunity. Daniel Farke’s team is likely to return to winning ways in the FA Cup: Harrogate, in the bottom ranks in League Two, cannot pose a credible threat.
The predictions on the other matches
Beware of possible surprises in the other matches. Derby County, for example, should not underestimate Leyton Orient, which has racked up five wins in a row in League One and could trip the Rams.
The challenge between two League One teams, Mansfield and Wigan, also promises balance. The hosts have more points in the standings and won in the first leg in the league, but the FA Cup is usually never straightforward and it cannot be ruled out that the Latics this time will at least manage to avoid defeat. Finally, the match between Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday is worth watching out for, with the Owls having already beaten the Sky Blues’ stadium in the season (it was last October), who have appeared to be declining in the last period.
FA Cup: possible winners
Leyton Orient (in Leyton Orient-Derby County).
Wigan or draw (in Mansfield-Wigan)
Sheffield Wednesday or draw (in Coventry-Sheffield Wednesday)
Matches of at least three goals total
Manchester City-Salford
Leeds-Harrogate
FA Cup: the matches by at least one goal per team
Leyton Orient-Derby County.
Coventry-Sheffield Wednesday
Share comparison
Leyton Orient’s win is listed at 3.00 on Goldbet, Lottomatica and Snai. The “Over 2.5” sign in Coventry-Sheffield Wednesday is instead quoted at 1.63 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 1.65 on Snai.
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