Manchester City vs Salford City

Manchester City’s quest to win their ninth FA Cup title commences at the Etihad Stadium against below-par Salford City.

With a fifth consecutive Premier League title well out of reach, not to mention an early EFL Cup exit, this is Manchester City’s only chance to avoid finishing the season without a domestic trophy for the first time since 2019/20. Pep Guardiola’s charges are seemingly back on track after a horrendous run of nine defeats from 13 competitive matches (W1, D3), winning their last two league outings against Leicester City and West Ham via multi-goal margins. A third successive victory should be a mere formality, even though the Citizens have blown hot and cold across their last three home games (W1, D1, L1). None saw Man City keep a clean sheet, but it should change in their first-ever competitive encounter against fourth-tier Salford.

However, that’s not a foregone conclusion, considering the visitors head into proceedings amid an impressive six-match winning streak in League Two, bookended by a brace of victories ‘to nil’ at Harrogate and MK Dons at the start of the new calendar year. Winning without conceding has been Salford’s ‘thing’ lately, as their last eight triumphs have come without reply. But their defensive solidity will be tested at the Etihad against one of Europe’s most formidable opposition, though the Ammies can draw heart from conceding an average of only 0.4 goals per game across their last five away matches (W3, D1, L1). Each contest in that sequence featured under 2.5 total goals, suggesting a low-scoring fixture could be in store.