FA Cup: Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle are looking to pull off another giant killing in the cup as they take on the champions of England.

Plymouth Argyle defeated Liverpool last time out in the FA Cup

For years pundits and supporters alike have spoken about the magic of the cup in relation to English football’s oldest competition. It provides the opportunity for part-time footballers with day jobs to take on the nation’s elite players. There have already been some surprises this season, particularly where Plymouth are concerned.

Plymouth began their FA Cup campaign with a 1-0 away win over Premier League side Brentford, despite only having 29 percent of the possession. Morgan Whittaker scored what was only one of two shots his team landed on target throughout the entire match, with just eight minutes plus stoppage time left to play.

The Pilgrims then advanced to the fourth round and were drawn to face Premier League leaders Liverpool in what was expected to be a more difficult challenge to overcome. This did not stop the spirited underdogs, however, as they progressed with another 1-0 victory thanks to a penalty which Ryan Hardie converted. Not the most exciting way to win matches, but they won’t care one bit.

Plymouth’s next task will not be any easier, with Manchester City looking to put an end to their impressive run. The seven time winners of the competition have players such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne at their disposal who Plymouth must be wary of if they are named in the starting lineup.

Manchester City have not had a great season but neither have Plymouth

After years of domestic success and even a taste of European glory, Man City supporters are finally remembering what it is like to be mediocre. Perhaps that is a harsh way to put it as the Sky Blues still sit fourth in the Premier League, but in comparison to past seasons City are a shadow of their former selves.

Suffering eight league defeats already this season, even if City won every remaining game they would still be 11 points shy of the tally they achieved in their previous campaign. Suffering a Champions League playoffs exit against Real Madrid has made life even bleaker and now the FA Cup is City’s only real chance at winning silverware this season.

Despite this, City are coming up against a team who are having a nightmare league season. Wayne Rooney left the club by mutual consent in December after picking up only four matches, as his managerial career continued to crash and burn. While Plymouth have since managed to improve and no longer sit rock bottom of the Championship, they are still in the relegation zone.

League form does not mean everything though as Plymouth have already shown in the cup and they will be aware the Citizens only managed a 2-1 win against third tier side Leyton Orient in the fourth round.

Manchester City have more of an incentive in the FA Cup than Liverpool did

Nothing should be taken away from Plymouth after their shock victory over Liverpool. The Reds may have fielded a weakened team, but they still had players such as Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota in their starting lineup.

Liverpool’s weakened team has to be mentioned, though, when considering Plymouth’s next match. This is because Man City have a lot more to play for than Arne Slot’s side who still have an opportunity to win a treble of trophies this season.

Of course, City are competing for the top four so there is a distraction there, but with a week in between the Plymouth clash and their next league game, it would make little sense to rest key players.

The Manchester outfit were defeated in the FA Cup final last season by bitter rivals Manchester United and have won at least one trophy every season since 2017/18. It makes sense if they go all out to reclaim the tournament and ensure their trophy cabinet remains topped up.

Plymouth’s task is therefore a difficult one, perhaps too difficult. However, the magic of the cup cannot be downplayed. Anything is possible and stranger things have happened, so this could be an interesting one.