Kick-off: 1730, 23/01/2021
Stadium: Whaddon Road
TV: BBC One
Cheltenham face the unenviable task of trying to prevent Manchester City from rattling off a 10th straight victory in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash.
The visitors lifted this trophy two years ago and reached the semis last term, so it is safe to assume Pep Guardiola will be taking the tie seriously.
We’re going with 4/5 for an away win by more than two clear goals for our first Cheltenham vs Man City prediction.
A Look At Cheltenham Town’s Betting Odds
Cheltenham are sixth in League Two after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Newport at Whaddon Road was a fourth consecutive stalemate in that division.
The Robins began the campaign brightly, but are now without a win in seven outings at their own level.
In the FA Cup, Town have seen off South Shields, Crewe and Mansfield, coming from behind to prevail 2-1 after extra-time in the last round.
Manager Michael Duff is aware of the task now facing his players, but insists they will relish the occasion.
“It’s the biggest free hit in history and then we move on,” he said. “We will do everything we can to make it as difficult as possible.
“You are in the FA Cup for moments like this, just give it your best shot. Will we win? Probably not – but you never know.
“The players will get a bit of kudos and a bit of attention, which will be nice for them. This is a bit of reward, a little bit of sugar and we’ll crack on from Monday in the league as normal.
“We are not going to try to out-football them, we just have to give a really good account of ourselves and you never know what might happen, it’s the FA Cup.
“We have things like a long throw and people who are good in the air – the key is can you get a throw in their half to start with?”
Town would probably settle for keeping the scoreline down to a respectable level, so 6/1 for a 3-0 away win appeals from the Cheltenham vs Man City odds.
A Look At Manchester City’s Betting Odds
City’s 2-0 Premier League triumph over Aston Villa on Wednesday was a touch controversial, with the visitors left fuming by the opening goal on 79 minutes.
Rodri seemed to come back from an offside position to dispossess Tyrone Mings and set up Bernardo Silva, but the letter of the law allowed the goal to stand.
Ilkay Gundogan only wrapped up victory from the penalty spot but, to be fair, the Blues had dominated throughout, enjoying 69 per cent of possession and having 28 attempts on goal.
That was a fifth consecutive clean-sheet success for City, including a 2-0 win over neighbours United in the EFL Cup semis and a 3-0 stroll versus Birmingham in the FA Cup.
“I think the team is doing very well, especially lately,” said Silva. “The team is very solid at the moment, not just the defenders but the midfielders and the strikers.
“We are doing a very good job and the atmosphere in the dressing room, around the place, around the staff, is very good at the moment. We have to keep it up at this level.”
The Blues were 3-0 up with just over half an hour gone against Birmingham in the last round and then eased off.
With a league trip to West Brom coming up on Tuesday, something similar may happen here, so 19/10 for the first period to be the highest-scoring half completes our Cheltenham vs Man City betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
CHELTENHAM 1-1 Newport – Matty Blair
MAN CITY 2-0 Aston Villa – Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan (pen)
Head-to-head: N/A
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