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Manchester City and Plymouth trade tackles in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday at the Etihad.
The hosts are coming off a narrow 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League in midweek. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 12th minute, and his goal proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Plymouth, meanwhile, shared the spoils in a 1-1 home draw with Cardiff City in the Championship. They went behind to Yousef Salech's 12th-minute strike, but the Bluebirds were reduced to 10 men when Dimitrios Goutas was sent off eight minutes into the second half. That handed the initiative to Plymouth, with Nigerian forward Muhamed Tijani stepping off the bench to equalise midway through the second half.
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The Pilgrims now shift their focus to the cup and booked their spot at this stage with a shock 1-0 home win over Liverpool in the last round. City, meanwhile, eliminated Leyton Orient with a 2-1 comeback away win.
Manchester City vs Plymouth Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two sides have clashed 20 times, with City leading 11-5.
- This will be their first meeting since February 1989 when City claimed a 2-0 home win in Division Two.
- Five of Plymouth's last seven games across competitions have had goals at both ends.
- Six of City's last seven home games have produced at least three goals.
- Plymouth have won one of their 19 away games across competitions this season.
- City's last six games have produced an average of 11.5 corner kicks.
Manchester City vs Plymouth Prediction
Manchester City's season has been nothing short of a disaster, and they have little left to play for in February, judging by their usual high standards. Pep Guardiola's side have their sights set on securing a top-four finish, while the FA Cup is their only shot at winning a trophy.
Plymouth, meanwhile, completed one of the all-time biggest shocks in FA Cup history when they eliminated runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool in the last round despite being bottom of the Championship at the time.
Miron Muslic's side will draw inspiration from this as they seek to complete another giant-killing, and their hosts' patchy form means this cannot entirely be ruled out.
Nevertheless, expect the hosts to claim a comfortable victory and also keep a clean sheet.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Plymouth
Manchester City vs Plymouth Betting Tips
Tip 1 - City to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Over 8.5 corners
