Cheltenham Town v Manchester City Tips: No upset on the cards for with City set to progress with ease
There’s an opportunity for a giant killing on Saturday evening as Cheltenham Town face Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round. The two sides have never faced each other before and we’ve got three football tips for the game, which can be seen live on BBC One at 5:30pm.
Both Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker came off against Aston Villa on Wednesday with knocks and neither are expected to start here with Pep Guardiola set to ring the changes as he rests some of his star men. Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia and Benjamin Mendy could all be welcomed back into the starting XI.
Cheltenham manager Michael Duff will be relishing the opportunity to play such a high quality opponent in Manchester City. Chris Hussey is likely to miss the game after coming off against Newport, while Elliot Bonds will also miss out for the hosts through injury.
There’s not much value in betting on a Manchester City win, with Guardiola’s team priced at 1/10 to win the game in normal time. The draw can be backed at 10/1, while a historic victory for Cheltenham is priced at 17/1 with Betfair.
Man City to be winning at half time and full time & Man City to win to Nil - 2.5pts @6/5 bet365
Bernardo Silva to score anytime - 1.5pts @ 2/1 BetVictor
Fernandinho & Alfie May to be carded - 0.25 pts @ 20/1 bet365
Prior to their game against Aston Villa on Wednesday evening, Manchester City had been winning at half time in every league game they have won this season. Pep’s side have really looked the business over recent weeks and I fully expect them to dispatch Cheltenham on Saturday with relative ease, despite making several changes to their side.
In the last five seasons in the FA Cup, Manchester City’s results in the fourth round read 4-0, 2-0, 3-0, 5-0 & 4-0. Pep’s side have kept clean sheets in all five of their most recent games and I expect the majority of the game against Cheltenham to be played inside the home team’s half. They are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions and have kept clean sheets in a remarkable 13 of those. All things considered, City to win to nil and to be winning at half time and full time looks an appropriate play here at 6/5 and can be made with the ‘bet builder’ feature with bet365.
I’ve also dipped by toe into the anytime goalscorer market for the game and have opted for Bernardo Silva to find the back of the net, which looks quite generously priced at 2/1 with BetVictor. It may be worth waiting until team news with this one as predicting FA Cup lineups can be particularly tricky.
In the FA Cup third round just two weeks ago Bernardo Silva found the back of the net twice as he racked up six shots in total to help his side to a 3-0 win over Birmingham City. The Portuguese attacking midfielder looked a constant threat and was also on target against Villa in midweek, making the most of a Tyrone Mings mistake. At 2/1 this selection looks a little overpriced should Bernardo start on Saturday. The same bet is considerably shorter at 11/10 with bet365 so I’d be recommending BetVictor on this occasion.
I’ve also picked out something at a bit more of a price which is available at 20/1 with bet365 and consists of both Manchester City’s Fernandinho and Cheltenham’s Alfie May to be carded. It’s worth noting that Stuart Attwell is the referee for the game, and he currently ranks first of 19 officials who have taken charge of Premier League matches this campaign with an average of 4.7 yellows shown per game.
Manchester City’s Fernandinho is a player who has been a reliable asset to Pep Guardiola this season and has done an excellent job whenever called upon at the age of 35. Last season the Brazilian picked up seven yellow and two red cards in 30 league appearances and I make him the most likely of any City player to pick up a booking against the League Two side here.
Paired with Fernandinho is Cheltenham Town’s Alfie May. No player has picked up more yellow cards in the league this season for Town than May, who also has four goals to his name this campaign. A player who always seems to be at the centre of everything, last season the 27-year-old picked up four bookings in 14 appearances and he has picked up a further four in 21 this campaign.
That’s 6/5, 2/1 and 20/1 plays in total. Enjoy the game which is live on BBC One and please gamble responsibly.
