Newport vs Manchester City – Match Preview
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The F.A. Cup returns this weekend and the draw for the 5th Round has thrown up a real David and Goliath tie, as League two minnows Newport County have been paired with high flying Premier League outfit Manchester City.
Manchester City are looking to compete on all four fronts this season and with them already in the Carabao Cup Final at the end of the month, they will look to progress further in the bigger of England’s two domestic cup competitions.
Not only that, but they come into this cup tie having put Chelsea to the sword last weekend. It wasn’t just a handsome victory, it was nothing short of a massacre at the Etihad as City strolled to a 6-0 win.
That win saw City return to the Premier League summit courtesy of goal difference and it is that particular metric that would have been swelled handsomely after an abject Chelsea were simply brushed aside.
The City juggernaut found itself a staggering 4-0 up after 25 minutes and from there it was a case of just how many they could go on to score. They may have added two more in the second half, on another day it could have quite as easily been another three or four.
Recently Pep Guardiola’s men handed out a couple of lower league cup thrashings, beating Burton and Rotherham by nine goals and seven respectively. But when you compare the perceived quality of Chelsea’s side, then that defeat arguably ranks even worse.
And it is a tally that will certainly have Newport worried as they prepare for the visit of City to Rodney Parade this weekend. However, they’ve already pulled off two FA Cup shocks this season and will be looking to make it a third.
In the third round they got the better of another Premier League outfit in the shape of Leicester, while in the previous round they needed two bites of the cherry to come out on top against Championship outfit Middlesbrough.
There is no doubting that this Newport side certainly have a lot of desire and they are going to need every inch of that this weekend. At the same time, one must not forget that they also held Tottenham to a replay at Rodney Parade last season.
However, with the cup format changing this time around it means we have to see a winner on the day. From the 5th Round onwards, replays have now been removed and this means there is no potential money spinning trip to the Etihad.
But Newport will certainly pick up a handsome amount of television money for their efforts if nothing else, their cup run has managed to swell the coffers of the club nicely and it shows just how much of a lifeblood this competition can be for teams of their stature.
Unfortunately for them their gallant run will come to an end when they meet City, their opponents are back in the groove as we reach the final third of the campaign. With that in mind there’ll be nothing less than an away win at Rodney Parade.
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