The State of Play
Manchester City are set to defend the FA Cup for the second time and traditionally the treble winners hit an elite stride in the late winter and spring, a trend that may continue as they navigate through this season.
Coming off a comfortable yet less than fluent 2-0 victory against Sheffield United last weekend, City’s form has been strong. Their recent come-from-behind 3-1 win at Goodison Park against Everton, coupled with their FIFA Club World Cup triumph, marks just one loss in their last 17 matches across all competitions.
Read our other FA Cup news stories here:
Pochettino sees domestic cups as route into Europe for Chelsea
Newcastle aware of importance of Sunderland clash – Howe
‘You have to treat it differently’ – Postecoglou on FA Cup bow
Huddersfield Town, making the short trip from Yorkshire to Lancashire, face a daunting task as the latest contender against City. Despite a slow start to the season after a dramatic escape in the previous campaign and the departure of Neil Warnock in September, they currently find themselves just three points and one place outside the Championship’s bottom three. With five wins in 26 games, their recent festive period included three defeats in four matches, concluding with a 4-1 loss to Leicester City on New Year’s Day.
Team News
Kevin De Bruyne returned to the Manchester City first-team squad last weekend, and the Belgian international could potentially start against Huddersfield as he continues to reintegrate into the squad. Although Erling Braut Haaland is unlikely to feature this weekend, he has returned to training, and Jeremy Doku, who has also returned, might be involved. John Stones remains unavailable, and Bernardo Silva, Scott Carson, Matheus Nunes, and Kalvin Phillips are all dealing with flu-like symptoms.
For Darren Moore’s side, the confirmed absentee for the weekend’s trip is Yuta Nakayama, who is away with the Japanese national team at the 2024 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. Additionally, there are several injury doubts, with Kyle Hudlin, Danny Ward, Jaheim Headley, and Delano Burgzorg all unavailable due to injuries. Ollie Turton has returned to first-team training but is still unlikely to feature after recovering from an ACL injury.
Expected Line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Rodri; Foden, De Bruyne, Grealish; Alvarez
Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Lees, Helik, Ayina; Kasumu, Wiles, Edmonds-Green, Rudoni, Diarra; Thomas, Koroma
What they Said
Pep Guardiola on Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness:
“What Kevin needs, what every player with long injures needs, is to accumulate weeks of training and minutes. A setback would be the worst. Time in training sessions is more important than 90 minutes on the pitch. Do that now and he will get injured again.”
Darren Moore on what sets Pep Guardiola apart from others:
“For me, it’s his passion and desire, that winning attitude which is not easy to come by because when you’ve won so much, then to be able to park it and move onto the next one takes a unique character. These managers have a relentless attitude to win and be the best.”
When and How to Watch
This match is being televised live on BBC Red Button, and can be streamed on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Prediction
Manchester City have not put up as many emphatic scorelines this season, as shown by only managing to squeeze past bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United by two goals last weekend. However, they face a Huddersfield Town side that are struggling to cope with the demands of second-tier football, let alone a historically exceptional team. A heavy home win is to be expected.
