Match Preview: FA Cup: Villa v Man City

by Dek Hogan 

Who are we playing?
Manchester City on Saturday 16th January at 5.30pm in the 4th round of the FA Cup.

Where are we playing?
Villa Park, you may know where it is.

Can I go?
Yep. Plenty of tickets left. Loads. Could be a disappointing crowd. Someone must have upset the customer base....

Easy to get to?
Dead easy, no problems anticipated. They didn't seem as rigorous with the pre-match searches last game either.

Can I watch it on telly?
There'll almost certainly be a stream but you's rather be there in the flesh surely?

Typical City fan

Big game?
Huge.

This cup is our last chance of silverware this season.

Unlikely?

Well you say that but then people were saying that last season yet we reached the final and had some fun getting there.

West Ham looms on the Tuesday following, giving Garde an excuse to rotate again. Manchester City approach this one sandwiched in between a semi-final and a a league match and will almost certainly field a weakened line up here.

Personally, I'd stick with the nucleus that had steadied the ship league recently and worry about the West Ham game when we get to it.

Noel from Oasis

Do Manchester City have any famous fans? 
Well there's Noel from Oasis

We've got the geezer that writes the Jack Reacher books.

So we win

Who's playing for us?

As discussed earlier, he may well choose to rotate and even blood a couple of the babbies, or give them a chance on the bench.

We'd certainly be better off with Bunn in goal than giving Guzan another opportunity to drop us in the clarts.

Twisty turny thing

Who's playing for them?
Fully expecting a second string. Don't forget your inflatable snake in case that two-faced, double dealing disingenuous back stabber gets a game.

Any useless stats?
Of course, here you go:

• We first faced Manchester City in the cup in 1900, drawing 1-1 at their place and winning the replay 3-0, Billy Garraty netting twice.

• Our next cup meeting was at Villa Park in February 1910, losing 2-1.

• We met again in the tournament in 1915 at Hyde Road, Manchester, losing 1-0.

• Frank Broome was among the scorers in our 3-2 home victory in 1938.

• Earl Barrett made his final Villa appearance as we crashed out to City 1-0 at Maine Road.

• Darius Vassell scored against us a Man City triumphed 2-1 in a 5th Round replay in 2006.

• Our last FA Cup encounter saw us thumped 3-0 at their place in 2011

Prediction
Going for a 2-3 Man City win.