Bristol City vs Manchester City

Premier League holders Manchester City make the trip to the Ashton Gate Stadium to take on second-tier Bristol City in a seemingly routine FA Cup fifth-round tie.

Despite being stuck in the EFL Championship mid-table, Bristol City excelled against fellow second-tier rivals in this season’s FA Cup, overcoming Swansea City and West Brom in the opening two rounds. A 3-0 demolition of WBA at home in the last round gives Bristol another opportunity to defy their ‘FA Cup round-five hoodoo,’ having been eliminated from 13 of their 14 previous attempts to make it out of this stage. Despite going unbeaten in their last 12 outings in all competitions (W5, D7 – 90mins only), Bristol’s chances of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1974/75 are minimal. But with their last four competitive matches producing under 2.5 goals, the ‘Robins’ can at least hop to avoid a catastrophe here.

As odds-on favorites to qualify for the FA Cup quarter-finals for the fifth time in six years, Manchester City head into proceedings on the back of a 4-1 thumping of Bournemouth in the Premier League. That result alleviated growing fears about City’s dip in form following back-to-back 1-1 draws against RB Leipzig and Nottingham Forest. Pep Guardiola’s men should have a walk in the park here after moving past fellow top-flight rivals Arsenal and Chelsea without conceding in the opening two FA Cup rounds. Indeed, the ‘Citizens’ FA Cup have won their last 12 FA Cup encounters against lower-league opposition by an aggregate score of 42-8 since going down at Wigan Athletic in February 2018. Furthermore, they’ve been victorious on their last ten FA Cup travels, accounting for the longest winning away run in the competition’s history.