Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle | FA Cup | Fifth Round | Pre Match

Vying for a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Manchester City welcome Championship outfit Plymouth Argyle to the Etihad Stadium for a fifth-round tie on Saturday evening. With both teams eager to progress, this clash presents a fascinating encounter between one of England's top-tier powerhouses and an ambitious underdog.

The two teams meet for the first time in any competition since February 1989, when the Citizens claimed a 2-0 victory in the old Division Two at Maine Road. While much has changed since then, the determination to claim victory remains the same, with City looking to assert their dominance and Plymouth aiming to script another fairytale chapter in their FA Cup campaign.

Following back-to-back defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool, Man City returned to winning ways and secured three valuable Premier League points in a slender 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night. Erling Haaland marked his return from injury with a 12th-minute match-winner, his 20th Premier League goal of the season, to help the Citizens climb back into the top four. However, they remain only one point ahead of Chelsea in fifth and just five points above Aston Villa in tenth with 11 games remaining, making every fixture crucial in their season’s ambitions.

Pep Guardiola's side are now prioritizing a top-four finish in what has been a turbulent season for Man City. Despite winning four consecutive Premier League titles, they currently sit a whopping 20 points behind champions-elect Liverpool. Ending the season on a high by winning silverware remains on the cards, though, as City have been listed as the bookmakers' favorites to lift the FA Cup. With Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Spurs already eliminated, Man City will back themselves to claim an eighth FA Cup title this term. The Citizens have reached at least the semi-final stage of the competition in seven of the last eight seasons under Guardiola, but they have only triumphed twice—first in 2018-19 and again in 2022-23.

Last season’s losing finalists are now preparing for just their second-ever FA Cup meeting with Plymouth, having previously beaten them 3-1 at Maine Road in the fifth round back in 1988. City have already dispatched two lower-league sides en route to round five this term, thrashing League Two Salford City 8-0 in the third round before coming from behind to beat League One Leyton Orient 2-1 in the fourth round.

Less than 24 hours after being appointed Plymouth's first foreign head coach, Miron Muslic watched on from the stands when the Pilgrims stunned Brentford to win 1-0 away in the FA Cup third round last month. However, he was in the dugout when Plymouth produced the shock of round four by knocking out Premier League leaders Liverpool, securing another 1-0 win three weeks ago. The victory over the Reds, courtesy of a Ryan Hardie second-half penalty, sent Home Park into raptures and ensured Plymouth's first fifth-round appearance in 18 years.

Since beating Liverpool, Plymouth have picked up five points across their last four Championship matches, boosting their hopes of survival. After thrashing Millwall 5-1 on home soil, the Pilgrims suffered a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers but have since responded with back-to-back 1-1 draws against fellow relegation-threatened sides Luton Town and Cardiff City. Their most recent match saw Cardiff threaten to spoil the recent optimism under Muslic after Yousef Salech’s early goal, but Plymouth fought back to deny the 10-man Bluebirds, with Muhamed Tijani netting a second-half equalizer to move them within three points of safety.

Before traveling to Hull City for their next Championship fixture, Plymouth will endeavor to pull off another major FA Cup upset against Man City. However, history is not on their side, as they have suffered defeat in eight of their last nine meetings against the Citizens in all competitions, with their only success coming via a 3-2 second-tier win at home in January 1988.

Manchester City will be without Rodri (ACL), Manuel Akanji (abductor), and John Stones (thigh) due to injury, while Oscar Bobb is closing in on a return to full fitness, but this weekend’s game will come too soon for the young attacker. Guardiola is expected to rotate his squad heavily from the City side that beat Spurs in midweek, with Stefan Ortega, Rico Lewis, Vitor Reis, Nathan Ake, James McAtee, and Jack Grealish all pushing for recalls to the starting XI.

Since his debut in the FA Cup in January 2016, no player has been involved in more goals in the competition (first round onwards) than Kevin De Bruyne, who has recorded 26 goal involvements—nine goals and 17 assists. The Belgian playmaker netted the winner at Leyton Orient in the previous round and is in contention to start in midfield on Saturday. Another exciting prospect who could feature is new signing Claudio Echeverri. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has now arrived in Manchester and could be in line to make his debut after impressing at the Under-20 South American Championship, where he captained Argentina to a runners-up finish.

As for Plymouth, Muhamed Tijani faces a couple of weeks out with a hamstring injury and joins fourth-round hero Ryan Hardie (back), Brendan Galloway (hip), and Joe Edwards (hamstring) on the treatment table. The absences of Tijani and Hardie leave Plymouth short in attacking options, with Mustapha Bundu expected to lead the line once again. Meanwhile, on-loan Burnley striker Michael Obafemi remains the only natural centre-forward in Muslic’s squad.

Defensively, Maksym Talovierov, Nikola Katic, and Julio Pleguezuelo could once again form a three-man backline, as they did against Liverpool. Wing-backs Matthew Sorinola and Tymoteusz Puchacz will likely provide width, while former Man City academy player Darko Gyabi could earn a recall in midfield to face his former club.

With Man City’s depth and quality, they will be expected to progress to the quarter-finals, but Plymouth have already proven they can defy the odds in this competition. The Pilgrims will travel to the Etihad hoping to add another remarkable chapter to their FA Cup story, while Guardiola’s side will aim to move one step closer to reclaiming the trophy. Whether it’s a comfortable win for the hosts or another stunning upset, Saturday’s fixture is set to be an intriguing battle between David and Goliath.