High flying Championship side Swansea City host Premier League leaders Manchester City on in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday night. Kick-off is at 17:30.

Swansea come into the game in good form and are unbeaten so far in 2021. So far they have beaten League Two Stevenage and fellow Championship side Nottingham Forest to earn themselves a tie against one of the worlds best sides in recent years.

Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side are also unbeaten so far this calendar year and will be full of confidence having beaten Liverpool 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. Like Swansea, City have seen off League Two and Championship opposition in the form of Cheltenham Town and Birmingham City to make it to round five. 

It certainly is set up to be an entertaining tie between to inform sides in their respective divisions.

Team news

Swansea boss Steve Cooper will be without goalkeeper Ben Hamer for the tie as he is cup-tied. The Swans boss will hope to have Korey Smith back from injury in time for the tie and new signing Paul Arriola will be in contention for the hosts after joining the squad for his first training session on Monday. 

Manchester City have no new fresh injury concerns. Pep Guardiola revealed on Tuesday afternoon that Sergio Aguero is progressively returning to field training but is not yet ready to return to the matchday squad. 

Predicted lineups

Swansea City: Woodman, Naughton, Bennett, Geuhi, Roberts, Fulton, Grimes, Hourihane, Bidwell, Lowe, Ayew.

Manchester City: Steffen, Cancelo, Garcia, Laporte, Mendy, Mahrez, Fernandinho, Rodrigo, Foden, Sterling, Torres.

Ones to watch

For the hosts, January signing Conor Hourihane will be one to keep an eye on. The Irishman has made a fantastic start to life in Wales with three goals in his first three appearances for the Swans. His most recent goal came at the weekend in a crucial 2-0 win over Norwich City at the top of the Championship. 

Hourihane has got off to a good start in a Swansea shirt and may help them achieve promotion back to the Premier League, with a good performance on Wednesday against City he may also be vital in some FA Cup success for the Swans this season. 

As for the visitors, Manchester City youngster Phil Foden seems to be doing all the right things at the minute for City and is sure to be a threat if selected on Wednesday night. 

At the age of just 20, Foden already knows what it takes to win the FA Cup, having been part of City's triumph in 2019. He was also vital at the weekend in securing Manchester City's first win at Anfield since 2003 on Sunday when he scored and got an assist against Liverpool. 

Previous meetings

Since their first meeting in September 1926, the two sides have met 36 times with the record swinging heavily in Manchester City's favour. City have 25 wins against the Swans, with four draws and seven wins for the Welsh side. 

The last time the sides met was in fact in the FA Cup. City came out on top on that occasion, winning 3-2 against Wednesday's opponents.

How to watch

The game will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, with coverage getting underway at 17:00. The game will kick-off 30 minutes later at 17:30.

Pre-match quotes

Swansea manager Steve Cooper recognises the challenge his side face on Wednesday and has told the Swansea website:

“We have to be perfect, there’s no doubt about that, and hope they’re not," he said.

“The term I’ve used to the team this morning is to play with ambition and when we can play our way.

“When we get opportunities to play we have to commit to it. We’ve got to be perfect with our game and hope they’re not but we won’t be doing anything too different."

City boss Pep Guardiola has acknowledged the threat Swansea pose and is expecting a tough game. He said on the Manchester City website:

“Swansea have a tradition of good managers. Michael Laudrup was there, Roberto Martinez, Graham Potter and now Steve Cooper.

“It was a difficult game (in 2019). I don’t expect a different game than when we suffered a lot to go through.

“I know Swansea’s consistency defensively. They are solid, don’t concede chances or goals. They have the quality to play upfront.

“It will be a real difficult test and we will have to do a good performance. I don’t expect any different tomorrow.”

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