Manchester City are eyeing a place in the quarterfinal of the FA Cup as they take on Peterborough United on Tuesday.
After a narrow and fortunate victory over Everton, Manchester City will set their sights on the FA Cup as they lock horns with Peterborough United in the fifth round on Tuesday.
The cup fixture should come as a welcome distraction for a Man City currently embroiled in a tense title race with Liverpool. The defending champions are currently leading the table, but only hold a three-point advantage over the Reds, who are in supreme form and have recently secured the Carabao Cup, with a win over Chelsea.
Manchester City had a rather weak outing in the League Cup, getting knocked out by West Ham in the fourth round. They have had a relatively better run in the FA Cup, winning 4-1 against Swindon Town and Fulham in the earlier rounds and are now eyeing a place in the quarterfinal, as they take on Peterborough.
Currently languishing at the bottom of the Championship table, Peterborough are winless in the league this year and are the undisputed favourites to get relegated come the end of the season. However, their impressive wins over QPR and Bristol Rovers in the earlier rounds of the FA Cup should give Darren Ferguson’s men some confidence as they get set to take on the Premier League giants.
Peterborough and Manchester City have previously met each other only once, curiously in the same stage of the FA Cup back in 1981, with the Cityzens clinching a narrow 1-0 victory. Almost forty years later, the Manchester giants will be aiming for yet another triumph over the Posh as the two sides lock horns at the Weston Homes Stadium this midweek.
Team News & Tactics
Peterborough United
Peterborough United are dealing with the absence of a couple of key players in Nathan Thompson and Jack Taylor. Thompson’s unavailability, in particular, could be quite consequential to the team’s overall setup.
Grant McCann spoke to the media ahead of the Emirates FA Cup fifth round tie with Manchester City at the Weston Homes Stadium. #pufc #PETMCI
— Peterborough United (@theposh) February 28, 2022
Head coach Darren Ferguson has often interchanged between a three-man backline and a four-man defence this term. But with his premier right-back out injured, we are expecting the Scot to go with a three-man rearguard, with Josh Knight, Ronnie Edwards and Frankie Kent covering Steven Benda in goal.
The 3-4-1-2 formation does offer Peterborough numerical superiority in the middle of the park. However, given their shoddy record in the Championship and overall quality of the Manchester City frontline, it won’t be surprising to see them operate in a 5-2-3 for a large period of the game, with the wing-backs joining the three central defenders.
The deep defensive line could mean both Jack Marriott and Callum Morton could be utilised as runners. It will be equally interesting to see how Sammie Szmodics operate in the number ten role, with the Irishman likely to drop into the second line of press during defensive stances.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Benda; Knight, Edwards, Kent; Ward, Norburn, Grant, Coulson; Szmodics; Morton, Marriott
Manchester City
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is expected to ring in the changes as he keeps one eye on the important Manchester derby on the weekend. But with Zack Steffen out injured, Ederson Moraes is expected to retain his place in goal, whereas Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker could both occupy their natural roles in the four-man backline.
Walker’s return to the team could see John Stones being shifted to centre-back, while there could be a start for Oleksandr Zinchenko as well, at the expense of Joao Cancelo. In addition to the Portuguese international, influential defensive duo Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias are set for bench appearances.
With Peterborough United likely to defend deep in their lines, it will be essential for Manchester City to maintain dominance over the proceedings and offer creativity in the middle of the park. In Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, they have two players capable of doing just that, whereas Fernandinho is hoping to start ahead of Rodri in the number six slot.
It remains to be seen if Guardiola’s rotation policy applies in the attacking unit. The Manchester City coach has refused to chop and change on a consistent basis in recent weeks, which has resulted in a relative lack of game-time for Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus.
However, with the Manchester United clash just around the corner, there could be wholesale changes, with Riyad Mahrez, Jesus and Grealish set to form the front three.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Ake, Zinchenko; Silva, Fernandinho, Gundogan; Mahrez, Jesus, Grealish
Key Stats
- With six triumphs, only six more teams have won more FA Cup titles than Manchester City. However, they have won the prestigious trophy only once in their last ten seasons.
- Peterborough United have reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1985/86 campaign. They have never gotten past this stage in the club’s history.
- Only Manchester United have reached the FA Cup quarterfinal more often than Manchester City since the arrival of Pep Guardiola.
- Ricky-Jade Jones has scored in three of his four FA Cup appearances for Peterborough. All of his appearances, however, have come as a substitute, meaning he averages a goal every 26 minutes in the competition.
- Manchester City have a strong record against teams from the lower division, having won each of their last 11 FA Cup matches against such clubs, during which they have netted as many as 40 goals while conceding just eight.
Player to Watch
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Oleksandr Zinchenko was spotted on the bench in tears when Manchester City and Everton paid tribute to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. The left-back is expected to start on Tuesday against Peterborough United, as part of Guardiola’s rotation policy.
It will be an excellent opportunity for the makeshift left-back to put in a good display and possibly even score a goal. From a pure tactical standpoint, the Ukrainian international should serve a key role in offering a seamless transition from defence to attack using his passing game.
As the wingers continue to provide width, the onus will be on Zinchenko to team up with midfielders and make marauding runs into the central areas of the pitch. We are certainly expecting a spirited performance from the 25-year-old, who has endured an indifferent season so far.
Prediction
Peterborough United 0-4 Manchester City
Manchester City have not fared well in recent matches and were quite lucky to get away with three points against Everton. However, Pep Guardiola’s men have been fortunate enough to have been drawn against Peterborough United just before their all-important Manchester derby on the weekend.
Having conceded 66 goals in 33 matches, the Posh have the second-worst defence in the Championship. In addition to their poor defensive acumen, the club are missing a few key players, which makes things ominous for Darren Ferguson’s men, who may have serious trouble keeping hold of the mighty Manchester City frontline. As such, a comprehensive win for the Premier League leaders is a plausible result this midweek.
