FA Cup 2022-23: Bristol City vs Manchester City: Predicted Lineup, Injury News, head-to-head, telecast

The 5th round of the FA Cup is set to be underway

Manchester City travel to Ashton Gate for their FA Cup fifth-round clash with Championship side Bristol City. The Robins put three past West Bromwich Albion without reply to advance to round five, while Pep Guardiola's crop ended Arsenal's hopes of a record-extending 15th crown. Bristol City has gone unbeaten in their last 12 contests in all tournaments - including a replay win over Swansea City in the FA Cup third round before enacting revenge on West Brom on January 28, winning 3-0 in round four.

Bristol City have not managed to progress to the quarter-finals since all the way back in 1974, losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United at this stage in 2018-19 and 2020-21 respectively. Pearson's side has found the back of the net in all of their 11 fixtures since the turn of the year, and the hosts have also shipped just one goal in their last four at Ashton Gate, but such resilience may prove futile against the Citizens juggernaut.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola should not shy away from making several changes for Tuesday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Kick-off:

Tuesday, 28-02-2023 | 8:00 PM(GMT)

Wednesday, 1-03-2023 | 1:30 AM(IST)

Form:

Bristol City Form(All Competitions): W-W-W-D-D-W

Manchester City Form (All Competitions): L-W-W-D-D-W

Players to Watch

Alex Scott(Bristol City)

Alex’s on-the-ball ability is exceptional, with his technique standing out as he is very confident in his own skill set. He often looks to entice his opposition into committing to 1v1 duels before beating his man thanks to his great balance and flair. When the center of the park is congested, he has the spatial awareness to drift out wide and is capable of providing quality service into dangerous areas. Out of possession, he’s equally capable of affecting games as he has the tenacity and discipline to contribute defensively.

Rico Lewis(Manchester City)

At just 18 years old now, Lewis has displayed a great degree of poise and maturity to operate in a role that requires a high footballing IQ for a Pep Guardiola side. A unique technician from the right-back position and shows no hesitancy in moving into the midfield when Manchester City are in possession. Lewis also possesses the technical ability and intelligence to shift his role mid-game depending on the team’s requirements and continue to operate at a high level. Rico Lewis also possesses a significant threat as a progressive passer and ball carrier when given space to advance the ball. He’s brave in possession and is quick to analyse the situations he’s in, subsequently making the best decision to increase his team’s threat.

Match Facts

• Manchester City has won their last 12 FA Cup matches against sides from a lower division by an aggregate score of 42-8. Their last such defeat was away at Wigan in February 2018, losing 1-0.
• Bristol City has been eliminated from 13 of their 14 FA Cup fifth-round ties, with their one exception coming in 1973-74 when they knocked out Leeds United in a replay; Leeds would go on to win the top flight that season.
• Man City have won their last 10 away games in the FA Cup, a run that stretches back to February 2019. It is the longest away winning run by a team in the history of the FA Cup.

Injury and Team News

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that defender Rob Atkinson would miss the rest of the campaign due to a cruciate ligament rupture, and he is the second Robins player to suffer that fate this season after Ayman Benarous. Kal Naismith, Kane Wilson and Tommy Conway will not be at Pearson's disposal either, but Bristol City has no fresh concerns to report from the weekend. Harry Cornick and Anis Mehmeti are both cup-tied, though.

Stones' injury - which he sustained in the fourth round against Arsenal - is unlikely to heal in time, while Laporte's involvement will likely be a last-minute decision, but Guardiola has no reason to risk the Spain international unnecessarily. Ilkay Gundogan should be fine to go again after lasting just 55 minutes against Bournemouth, and he could find himself alongside Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips in a new-look engine room.

Head-to-head

Matches: 19

Manchester City: 8

Bristol City: 8

Draw: 3

Predicted Lineup

Bristol City Predicted Lineup(4-2-3-1):

O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Kalas, Pring; James, Williams; Sykes, Scott, Bell; Wells

Manchester City Predicted Lineup(4-2-3-1):

Ortega; Lewis, Dias, Ake, Gomez; Silva, Phillips, Gundogan; Mahrez, Alvarez, Foden

Prediction

Even though Bristol is in a good form but it will be very difficult for them to continue this form when they face the powerhouse city. Even with changes expected in abundance, Man City should have no problems sweeping aside their second-tier opponents and booking their spot in the quarter-finals for the fifth year running.

Prediction: Bristol City 0-3 Manchester City

Telecast

India: Sony Sports Network and Sony Liv

UK: BBC and ITV

USA: ESPN+

Nigeria: Supersports