7M - Match Preview: Manchester City vs Salford City – FA Cup Fourth Round

Manchester City shift focus from the Premier League title race as they host League Two side Salford City at the Etihad Stadium for Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash.

The two sides met at the same stage last season, with City cruising to an emphatic 8-0 victory over the Ammies.

Match Preview

Manchester City remain firmly in this season’s Premier League title fight with Arsenal, underlining their credentials with crucial back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Fulham — the latter a 3-0 home victory on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola’s men currently sit three points adrift of the Gunners with 12 games remaining. An EFL Cup final against Mikel Arteta’s side awaits next month, and City now set their sights on a fourth consecutive FA Cup final appearance.

Seven-time FA Cup winners, City have reached at least the semi-finals in eight of the last nine seasons under Guardiola, lifting the trophy in 2019 and 2023, though they have fallen in the final to Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the past two editions.

One of the standout results of January’s third round was City’s 10-1 demolition of League One Exeter City at the Etihad — their first double-figure haul in nearly 40 years, and the first time any team has scored 10+ goals in an FA Cup tie since Tottenham’s 13-2 thrashing of Crewe in 1960.

City are overwhelming favourites to extend their remarkable record against non-Premier League opposition in the competition, having won 20 straight such ties, scoring 82 goals. At home, they have claimed 11 consecutive victories in those fixtures by a staggering aggregate of 59-5.

While City are unbeaten in six across all competitions (five wins, one draw), Salford have lost just twice in 13 games over the past 10 weeks (nine wins, two draws) — though both defeats have come in their last three league outings.

A narrow 1-0 home loss to Chesterfield was followed by a 2-0 win at Tranmere, but Karl Robinson’s side fell 1-0 at Accrington Stanley in their most recent fixture, slipping to sixth in League Two — five points off the automatic promotion places, though they hold games in hand on every side above them.

This weekend marks Salford’s first-ever appearance in the FA Cup fourth round, secured after a thrilling 3-2 win over Swindon in the previous round. The last time a team from the fourth tier or lower knocked out a side sitting in the top three of England’s top flight was in February 1971, when Colchester defeated league leaders Leeds United in the fifth round.

For the Ammies, pulling off a monumental upset appears a formidable task. They have lost all three prior competitive meetings with Premier League clubs by an aggregate score of 15-0 — including last season’s 8-0 defeat at the Etihad, a 3-0 loss at Everton in 2020–21, and a 4-0 home reverse against Burnley in the 2023–24 EFL Cup.

Team News

City remain without Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture) and Mateo Kovačić (ankle/heel). Jeremy Doku (calf) and Savinho (unspecified) are not yet fit, though both wingers could return later this month.

Erling Haaland was withdrawn at half‑time against Fulham with “niggles”, according to Guardiola, and the striker is unlikely to be risked here.

Omar Marmoush is poised to lead the line. James Trafford, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Nico Gonzalez, Max Alleyne, and Rico Lewis — who scored twice in the third‑round win over Exeter — are all in contention to return to the starting XI.

John Stones could make his first appearance since December 2 after recovering from injury and will compete with Abdukadir Khusanov for a centre‑back berth.

For Salford, Jay Bird and Tom Edwards remain long‑term absentees. Ade Oluwo, Michael Rose, and Kadeem Harris are nearing full fitness, while Haji Mnoga and Brandon Cooper face late fitness tests.

Prince Ehibhatiomhan and Alfie Dorrington — recent loanees from Southampton and Tottenham respectively — made their debuts in the Accrington defeat. Dorrington started in a back three and could continue alongside Oliver Turton and Luke Garbutt.

Ryan Graydon scored twice in the third‑round win over Swindon and, after arriving on loan from Fleetwood in January, is expected to feature up front alongside either Cole Stockton or Daniel Udoh — the latter joint‑top scorer with seven goals alongside Kelly Nmai.

Former Liverpool and Sunderland forward Fabio Borini is also available. The 34‑year‑old Italian scored twice against City during his time with the Black Cats, including a first‑half opener in the 2014 EFL Cup final defeat at Wembley.

Prediction

A year on from conceding eight goals at the Etihad, Salford will hope to offer greater resistance and deliver a more competitive performance. However, backing City to advance is difficult to avoid.

Even with significant rotation, Guardiola’s side possess more than enough quality to control the contest and secure a comfortable victory on home soil.

Prediction: Manchester City 4–0 Salford City