It’s David versus Goliath when City’s galaxy of stars travel to Swindon for Friday’s FA Cup showdown! Can the League Two Robins pull off a miracle, or will City go marching on?
Manchester City’s bid for the FA Cup trophy starts with a journey to League Two team, Swindon Town, in the third round on Friday night.
While the Premier League champions and runaway leaders enter the tournament in the third round, Swindon have already defeated Crewe Alexandra and Walsall to make it to this stage.
Swindon haven’t managed to make it as far as the fifth round since the 1991-92 season, but any hopes of the Robins getting even as far as round four will be slim to none, as they prepare to take on the megastars of Manchester City.
The Citizens have only won the FA Cup once under the stewardship of manager, Pep Guardiola, when they beat Watford in the final of the 2018-19 edition. However, the blue half of Manchester haven’t been eliminated at this stage since 2011-12, when they were defeated 3-2 by Manchester United.
In Swindon squad news, Crystal Palace centre-back Jake O’Brien has arrived on loan to bolster head coach, Ben Garner’s defence, and there should be a start for Wales international midfielder, Jonathan Williams.
Meanwhile, for City, Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko remain doubtful due to COVID-19, so Nathan Aké could again feature at left-back, as CJ Egan-Riley and Luke Mbete compete for spots in the heart of the backline.
Zack Steffen and Fernandinho will also hope to start this clash, while in attack, James McAtee, Cole Palmer, and Kayky could all earn some valuable playing time.
There is only one winner here. The question is, how many goals will City score? Our prediction is 5-0 to Guardiola’s men, with 3 goals scored in the first half.
Swindon Town possible starting XI:
Ward; Kesler, Odimayo, Hunt, Iandolo; Gilbert, Williams, Reed, Lyden; McKirdy, Simpson
Manchester City possible starting XI:
Steffen; Walker, Mbete, Egan-Riley, Aké; Gündoğan, Fernandinho, McAtee; Kayky, Palmer, Grealish
