A clear-cut number for the Sky Blues?
For only the fourth time in the club’s history, Peterborough United have reached the last 16 of the FA Cup. Only in the 1964/65 season was “The Posh” able to survive this round and reach the quarter-finals. Now the Championship’s bottom team will face an absolute heavyweight in the form of Manchester City.
The Sky Blues have lost only one of their last 19 competitive matches at national level (17 wins, one draw) and travel to the London Road Stadium as heavy favourites. Accordingly, the odds are swinging in the Citizens’ favour ahead of the clash between Peterborough and Manchester City.
Manchester City have not been defeated by a lower-tier club in the FA Cup since the 2017/18 season (when they lost 1-0 to third-tier Wigan Athletic). Rotation is to be expected at the Sky Blues. But also because the quality is enormous across the board, little should go wrong in this unequal duel.
A goal from the second division club is already considered unlikely, which is why we see the greatest value in Peterborough against Manchester City in betting that a maximum of one team will score.
Peterborough – Statistics & current form
Peterborough United have been in existence since 1934 and are based in the Cambridgeshire town of the same name in the East of England. Never before has the club, commonly known as “The Posh”, played in the country’s top division.
Nor has PUFC featured too often in the Championship, into which the East Anglians were promoted last summer as League One runners-up. In the perpetual table of the second highest English division, only 83rd place is on the record.
Winless for eleven league games in a row
At the moment, it doesn’t look like “The Posh” will be able to stay in the Championship for too long. After 33 league games, the promoted team has the red lantern in its hands. They are already eight points behind the bottom of the table, which is why there is a lot to be said for direct relegation.
Against this backdrop, the only bright spot in February was the 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup, which saw the East English side reach the last 16 of the most important English cup competition for only the fourth time in their history. Meanwhile, in league action, they have picked up just two points from a possible 33 in their last 11 games.
The Championship’s weakest offence
Darren Ferguson’s men will go into this home match against arguably the best English team of the moment, who have been the measure of all things in the Premier League and both cup competitions in recent years.
The fact that “The Posh” has only scored 24 goals in 33 league games and thus has the weakest attack in the Championship means that even a bet on a goal from the underdogs at Peterborough against Manchester City is extremely ill-omened.
Predicted Peterborough line-up:
Benda – Burrows – Kent – Edwards – Knight – Ward – Brown – Norburn – Szmodics – Marriott – Morton
Last matches played by Peterborough:
Championship
02/26 2022 – Peterboro 0 – 3 Hull
02/23 2022 – Fulham 2 – 1 Peterboro
02/19 2022 – Derby 1 – 0 Peterboro
02/16 2022 – Peterboro 0 – 0 Reading
02/12 2022 – Peterboro 0 – 1 Preston
Manchester City – Statistics & current form
Manchester City did suffer a minor setback in the Premier League recently when they lost 3-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the last second. Nevertheless, the Sky Blues still have a six-point lead over main chasers Liverpool with one game more on the account.
The Citizens are still heading for the title defence in the league, which could also be accompanied by further trophies. In the Champions League, the door to the quarter-finals is miles wide open after the 5-0 win in Lisbon.
Won 17 of last 19 competitive matches at national level
Adding to that, City last won the FA Cup in the summer of 2019 and last time out against Fulham in a 4-1 win with a B eleven, they were nothing to write home about. A game in which the Sky Blues, mind you, were up against the current Championship leaders, who have more than three times as many league goals as today’s opponents Peterborough.
Accordingly, the Guardiola eleven’s role as favourites in this away game is gigantic. After all, the Sky Blues have won 17 of their last 19 games at national level.
Pep Guardiola can draw from a full complement
Although some players may already be secretly focusing on Sunday’s Manchester derby against arch-rivals United, which is undoubtedly a landmark match in terms of defending the Premier League title.
But because Pep Guardiola has an empty hospital and can draw from the full squad, even with tough rotation, an extremely powerful squad can be expected that should have no problems with the Championship’s bottom team under normal circumstances.
Predicted line-up of Manchester City:
Steffen – Cancelo – Aké – Stones – Walker – Gündogan – Fernandinho – De Bruyne – Foden – Mahrez – Grealish
Last matches played by Manchester City:
Premier League
02/26 2022 – Everton 0 – 1 Manchester City
02/19 2022 – Manchester City 2 – 3 Tottenham
Champions League Final
02/15 2022 – Sporting CP 0 – 5 Manchester City
Premier League
02/12 2022 – Norwich 0 – 4 Manchester City
02/09 2022 – Manchester City 2 – 0 Brentford
Peterborough – Manchester City Direct Comparison / H2H Record
There has only been one competitive match between the two teams so far and that match also dates back to an FA Cup Round of 16 tie. The Sky Blues won 1-0 away at the London Road Stadium on 14 February 1981.
Peterborough – Manchester City Tip
When it comes to Peterborough against Manchester City, the prediction goes formally in the direction of the visitors, who also have the enormous quality across the board to punch their ticket to the next round, even with tough rotation at the bottom of the Championship. After all, “The Posh” has only picked up two points out of a possible 33 from the last eleven league games and has the worst offensive record in the Championship.
Without a doubt, the bet on a win for the Citizens is interesting. However, as this bet offers exactly the same prices as the bet on a maximum of one team scoring, even more eventualities can be covered with this betting option.
