Manchester City vs Plymouth Argyle Prediction, lineups, betting tips & odds

City will host struggling Plymouth in the FA Cup fifth round.

Manchester City will next return to action in the FA Cup fifth round when they host Plymouth Argyle. The Cityzens are enduring one of the worst spells this campaign but they still have a shot at ending the season with a trophy. FA Cup seemingly remains their only chance to lift some silverware now.

Erling Haaland’s game-winning goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London gave City a 1-0 victory over faltering Tottenham in midweek. They are now in the top four in the Premier League. This win will certainly boost their confidence coming into this game, but they will also keep in mind how the Championship side upsetted Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Ryan Hardie’s penalty in the second half helped Plymouth upset a heavy favourite, the Liverpool team, 1-0 at Home Park in the fourth round. Though they were most recently held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Cardiff City last week, the Pilgrims have made strides since Miron Muslic’s arrival despite battling the relegation zone in the EFL Championship.

Kick-off

• Location: Manchester, England
• Stadium: Etihad
• Date: Saturday, 1 March
• Kick-off: 11:15 p.m. IST/ 5:45 p.m. GMT/ 12:45 p.m. ET/ 9:45 a.m. PT
• Referee: Craig Pawson
• VAR: Not in use.

Form

Manchester City: L-W-L-L-W

Plymouth: W-W-L-D-D

Players to watch

Manchester City: Omar Marmoush

Pep Guardiola is expected to rest Erling Haaland for this fixture. Omar Marmoush will be given the attacking role in his place. The Egyptian has been thriving since joining the club and has already scored his first hat trick for City this season. He is now expected to spearhead the attacking line and aim to help City secure a win against Plymouth.

Plymouth: Mustapha Bundu

With top scorer Ryan Hardie injured, Plymouth will rely on their other centre-forward Mustapha Bundu against Manchester City. Bundu will have an excellent chance to create another history like his teammate Hardie who scored a goal against Liverpool. Bundu has excellent qualities as a striker and will hope to put them to the test against a solid City defence.

Match facts

• This is the second meeting between the two sides in the FA Cup (the first came in 1987-188).
• Plymouth have lost all the last five meetings against Manchester City in all competitions.
• This will be the first match between the two sides since 1989.

Betting Tips and Odds

• Tip 1: Manchester to win this game.
• Tip 2: Omar Marmoush to score a goal.
• Tip 3: Plymouth to at least score a goal.

Injury and team news

Oscar Bobb, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Rodri will all be absent for the Manchester City game against Plymouth.

In this match, Plymouth have no injury issues and will have a completely fit squad to face City.

Claudio Echeverri has officially arrived in Manchester 🩵Will we see him make his @ManCity debut in the #EmitatesFACup this weekend? 🇦🇷🏆 pic.twitter.com/wAh8Wr8ZjF

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 27, 2025

Head-to-head

Matches: 20

Manchester City: 11

Draws: 4

Plymouth: 5

Predicted lineup

Manchester City’s predicted lineup

(4-2-3-1): Ortega; O’Reilly, Dias, Reis, Rico Lewis; Gündogan, Nico González; Grealish, McAtee, Savinho; Marmoush.

Plymouth predicted lineup

(4-2-3-1): Hazard; Pálsson, Katić, Talovierov, Puchacz; Houghton, Randell; Szucs, Al-Hajj, Bundu; Wright.

Prediction

Manchester City are currently fourth in the Premier League and out of the Champions League, meaning their only chance to win a trophy this season is in the FA Cup. Furthermore, the guests have made it apparent that surviving the Championship is more important than this competition. Therefore, we believe City will see this competition as a chance to end the season with a trophy.

Prediction: Manchester City 4-1 Plymouth

Live telecast details

India: Sony Liv

UK: BBC Sports

USA: Disney+ and ESPN+

Nigeria: beIN Sports

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