Pep Guardiola will rotate his squad for the FA Cup tie with Plymouth Argyle this evening but the Manchester City boss won't be taking too many chances with silverware up for grabs.
The FA Cup represents a chance for City to claim a trophy this season with their Premier League defence over and Champions League and Carabao Cup dreams extinguished.
Championship strugglers Plymouth are the opposition at the Etihad and City will be heavy favourites to earn a spot in the quarter-finals. But having struggled to get past League One side Leyton Orient in the last round, Guardiola and Co will not be underestimating their visitors even if there will changes aplenty from the midweek top flight win over Tottenham.
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Ederson will likely be given the weekend off with Stefan Ortega stepping in while Guardiola talked up Vitor Reis this week and the Brazilian, who featured against Leyton Orient in the last round, can partner Abdukodir Khusanov in the backline with the Uzbekistan international having impressed in the last few matches. Rico Lewis can return at right back while Nico O'Reilly has been trusted again on the left.
Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan can bring experience to the midfield while Nico Gonzalez can continue to settle in the middle. James McAtee surely gets a run out and Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush can complete the frontline.
There's no need to risk the just fit-again Erling Haaland while Jack Grealish is a doubt and Savinho and Jeremy Doku can be afforded a weekend off.
“We are expecting a difficult game," said Guardiola. "We play at home, and that is an advantage, the Orient game was so tough.
“We played many times in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup against lower league teams and always they are tricky. What these teams do, they do really well. And if you are not ready you are in trouble.
“We have a chance to arrive in the last eight of the FA Cup again and we want to do it.”
Predicted City XI: Ortega, Lewis, Reis, Khusanov, O'Reilly; Kovacic, Gundogan, Gonzalez ; McAtee, Foden, Marmoush
