Tonight, City continue our defence of England’s most prestigious cup with a trip to Sheffield Wednesday.
All eyes are on Hillsborough and the Owls are hoping for a ‘cupset’…
Meanwhile, two City stars feature in a ‘players to watch at the SheBelieves Cup’ piece, and which record is Sergio Aguero targeting next...?
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Match previews: Sheffield Wednesday v City
Sheffield Star: Garry Monk relishing battle with ‘inspirational’ Pep Guardiola as Sheffield Wednesday prepare to take on Manchester City
Garry Monk: “For me, the bigger the challenge the better. That’s the mentality I’ve always had.
“It’s a unique and great opportunity for us to try and prove ourselves against some of the best in the world.
“It’s one to relish. It’s away from the league, hopefully that can help us. It won’t come any tougher than this game tomorrow but it’s one we should all be looking forward to. I have great belief that the players will go out and give absolutely everything to win this game.
“Any aspiring manager making their way in the game, of course you look at the very top.
“They’re the ones that give you that inspiration at the very highest end of the game, the elite managers.
“You’re talking about unbelievable results, unbelievable performances, constructing teams to the highest level. You don’t do that by luck, you do that by expertise and the level he’s working at.
“It’s fantastic to come up against that type of manager, fantastic for the staff, fantastic for the players to come up against that calibre of team.
“You relish and enjoy it by preparing as best as you possibly can, being at the very top of our performance and needing some luck as well.
“What you shouldn’t do is fear it, that’s the mentality, you need to relish it. That’s what we’ve put into the team last week and what I’m sure we’ll see tomorrow night.”
Yorkshire Post: Sheffield Wednesday’s Barry Bannan relishing Manchester City FA Cup test
Barry Bannan: “You’ve got to take it with both hands and not let it go past with any regrets.
“Hopefully, I can match these players. I just don’t want to come off the pitch thinking: I could have given a bit more.
“It’s 11 v 11 and we’ve still got a chance. You’ve got to go into games still expecting to win otherwise there is no point.
“There have been shocks before so I can’t see why we can’t produce a shock and to be fair to the fans it would be the least they deserve. They come in their numbers week in, week out so if we can give them a cup upset, something to cheer about, it would be great.
“We are underdogs, but we have nothing to lose.
“I watch a lot of football and try to take bits from everyone who plays in my position and Manchester City’s are phenomenal at what they do week in, week out.
“City and Liverpool are pretty different in styles but if you’re talking about keeping the ball, I’d say Man City are better.
“Liverpool have got more of a killer instinct, but Manchester City’s midfield has special, special people on the ball and I think if I had to pick a midfield I would pick Man City’s because they play the way I like to play.”
International duty
90 Min: 6 England Players to Watch Ahead of the 2020 SheBelieves Cup
Ali Rampling (on Lauren Hemp): “The Manchester City winger has enjoyed quite the 12 months. This time last year, she travelled with the England squad to the SheBelieves Cup just to train, purely for the experience.
“One year on, Hemp has scored in an FA Cup final, made her international debut, and is now heading to the States well in contention for a starting berth.
“The 19-year-old has had a stunning season with City thus far, playing with the fearlessness that reflects her age, but the consistency and maturity of a seasoned veteran.
“In the absence of Beth Mead, the tournament is a real opportunity for Hemp to stake a claim for a regular starting spot.”
(On Ellie Roebuck): “Another youngster who has had an impressive season with Man City, this is the first international camp where Roebuck looks like she could be going into it as England’s number one.
“The 20-year-old has only started twice for the Lionesses in her fledgling international career, and this tournament could be a real test of her credentials.
“Roebuck is a top class goalkeeper; a superb shot stopper with great feet. She does have a mistake in her, but that is to be expected given her age. It will be exciting to see how she performs on the big stage.”
Looking ahead…
Premier League: MW29 stats: Aguero targets records at Old Trafford
“There will be more than local pride at stake for Sergio Aguero when he heads across Manchester to Old Trafford on Sunday.
“With a goal against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, he would equal the highest total for Premier League goals scored by a visiting player at the Theatre of Dreams, currently held by a Liverpool great.
“And with a second strike, he would match the record for goals scored in Manchester derbies across all competitions.
“Sergio Aguero has scored nine times in Manchester derbies in all competitions. Only Wayne Rooney (11), Joe Hayes (10) and Francis Lee (10) have netted more.
“Aguero has struck four times in Premier League fixtures at Old Trafford, with Steven Gerrard the only visiting player to score there more often in the competition, with five goals.”
