Cheltenham v Man City predictions, betting preview and football tips

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Cheltenham v Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.

Where to watch

BBC1, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Manchester City to win to nil
2pts 4-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Team news

Cheltenham
Chris Hussey and Elliot Bonds are expected to miss out but Sean Long is back in contention.

Manchester City
Sergio Aguero (Covid-19) is out so Gabriel Jesus could lead the attack. Zack Steffen is expected to start in goal with youngsters Tommy Doyle, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Cole Palmer also pushing for starts. Kevin De Bruyne is out and Aymeric Laporte is unlikely to figure.

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Match preview

Cheltenham racecourse is famous for its stiff fences and uphill test but that's nothing on what the town's football team face against Premier League giants Manchester City.

The Robins conceded the longest strike in football history against Newport on Tuesday and they will be hoping they don't enter the record books for their biggest defeat against a side as strong as City in the FA Cup this weekend.

Cheltenham drew 1-1 with Newport in League Two after the Welsh club's goalkeeper Tom King netted from a goal kick, meaning Town have still not won a game inside 90 minutes since the start of December.

And with only five points collected in their last six league contests, this is not a good time for Michael Duff's men to be taking on a top Premier League side, and City could run out comfortable winners.

The Manchester club will of course be out of their comfort zone playing on a League Two pitch and having to change in Whaddon Road's re-purposed club bar because the away changing room is too small, but Pep Guardiola rarely puts a foot wrong in this kind of fixture.

City have won their last seven FA Cup ties against lower opposition and, despite their obsession with winning the Champions League, they tend to give domestic cup competitions respect, winning the League Cup five times since 2014.

They are favourites to win all three of England's biggest competitions, rated 4-9 for the Premier League, 5-2 for the FA Cup and 4-9 to lift the trophy when they take on Tottenham in April's League Cup final.

And it would be a bold move to oppose City in any of those competitions with the mood around the Etihad Stadium having greatly improved in the last couple of months.

Guardiola signed a new two-year deal in November and the club have since gone on a 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

That excellent spell, coupled with Cheltenham's recent decline, has seen the Citizens go as short as 1-11 for victory but they could still represent value at 4-5 in the win-to-nil market.

City's defensive resolve has been crucial to their Premier League revival with the club having won without conceding in their last five matches against Manchester United, Birmingham, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Summer signing Ruben Dias has flourished in particular in the absence of Aymeric Laporte or John Stones and the Portuguese defender was part of a strong line-up fielded by Guardiola in their win over Birmingham in the third round.

Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus were all involved on that occasion and, although Guardiola may give some youngsters a chance against Cheltenham, do not expect City to go easy on the League Two minnows.