LONDON – Manchester City may have avoided drawing a fellow Premier League team in the FA Cup fifth round but Pep Guardiola does not feel their progress is guaranteed against Championship side Bristol City, who are on a 12-match unbeaten run.
Bristol are managed by Nigel Pearson and are unbeaten in all competitions since the last week of December, moving up to 13th in the second-tier Championship.
The last time the two teams faced each other at Ashton Gate, City edged out Bristol 3-2 in the League Cup semi-final, second leg in 2018 en route to Guardiola’s first trophy in English football.
“From my experience in this country, in the last six years, when you go (play) away in the FA Cup at a Championship team, it is always, always tough. (Playing at) home is a little different,” Guardiola said ahead of Tuesday’s clash.
“Last 12 games – no defeat. That means they are there. My scouts are saying it’s a good team. The manager has experience, did really well with Leicester (City) and Watford when he was there one or two seasons ago.
“It’s a final. The FA Cup is a really, really important competition, so it’s a serious team we will play tomorrow.”
City bounced back from two consecutive draws to beat Bournemouth 4-1 over the weekend, but Guardiola feels his team can play better as they sit two points behind league leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
“The way we are playing is good, results could be better. Sometimes it happens in football,” Guardiola, who has won the FA Cup only once in 2019 when City thrashed surprise finalists Watford 6-0, said.
“I have no complaints about how we are playing and how we are fighting. The mood in the locker room is exceptional and the guys are doing everything – that is enough for me.
“I have the feeling in the Premier League many things are going to happen, everyone is going to drop points. But we cannot drop any, we want to fight until the end.”
He confirmed influential midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is still suffering from “a little bit of illness” after sitting out the trip to Bournemouth while he will also take a late call on defenders John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.
There could be a rare chance for midfielder Kalvin Phillips to start after a frustrating campaign.
While de Bruyne is seen by many as the chief chance creator for Erling Haaland, who has 33 goals in 33 appearances for City, Guardiola said striker Julian Alvarez “helps Erling to score goals, too”.
On the Argentinian, who scored his 10th goal of the season against the Cherries, he said: “He plays so quick. When he plays behind Haaland, we know we have one player in the box all the time.
“He scored two goals. First goal, he moved in the right pocket and scored in the far post, he is always there. The second goal, the fourth for the team, he was there, so we need an extra man in the 18-yard box, that is why it is so important. It helps Erling to score goals, too.”
The Robins may not have a Haaland or Alvarez but they do have a player nicknamed the “Guernsey Grealish” in midfielder Alex Scott.
The England Under-20 international from the Channel Islands, who has five assists and a goal this season, has reportedly been attracting interest from Premier League sides Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
On the nickname, Scott, 19, told The Bristol Post: “(Jack) Grealish has been mentioned for the past couple of years since I’ve broken through. I think he’s the one who I’ve almost modelled my game off.
“The way we dribble, the way we move on the pitch, is very similar and he’s a special, special player. Probably the one I look up to the most in football at the minute...
“De Bruyne and Grealish are players that I’ve looked up to over the last four or five years... It’s exciting to play against these players but we’ve just got to play our normal game.” REUTERS
