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The first of two FA Cup semi-final ties gets underway on Saturday afternoon as Man City take on Sheffield United at Wembley. The match takes place at 4:45pm and is live on ITV1.
Man City
Man City appear to be unstoppable. Pep’s side secured their passage into the semi-finals of the Champions League in midweek and their recent form has seen them become favourites for the Premier League title. Despite competing across numerous competitions, they have shown very few signs of slipping up and having been drawn against Championship opposition this weekend, they are in the driving seat for yet another FA Cup triumph.
Match has ended
Remarkably, City are yet to concede a goal in this competition so far and have swatted aside several teams including Championship outfits Burnley and Bristol City. They also ousted Chelsea and Arsenal earlier in 2023.
City scored a combined nine times against Championship sides and they may not have to get out of first gear here. They had the chance to give John Stones and Erling Haaland a bit of a breather against Leicester last weekend and despite the hectic schedule, Pep may opt to start both players on Saturday afternoon.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United are exceptionally close to booking their return to the Premier League. The Blades have been ruthlessly efficient in recent weeks and with Luton failing to beat Reading on Wednesday, they can pretty much celebrate their return to the top flight.
Nevertheless, they will be able to take their minds off their promotion push for a few days and enjoy a trip to West London to face the champions.
Sadly for Sheffield United, their two Manchester City loanees are not eligible to feature in this game. Tommy Doyle has enjoyed a fantastic campaign and has given the Blades’ midfield some much-needed energy and youthful vibrancy. James McAtee scored the winner on Tuesday night and is also unable to play against his parent club. The South Yorkshire outfit’s squad isn’t the biggest and these are two significant losses.
It’s been a topsy-turvy FA Cup campaign for the Blades who required a replay to edge past National League outfit Wrexham before knocking out Premier League Spurs at the beginning of March.
Head to Head
These two sides met on four occasions during Sheffield United’s two-year spell in the Premier League. The Blades weren’t able to get the better of Pep’s men, however, they were at least competitive and weren’t beaten by more than a two goal margin.
Sadly, the head to head record makes fairly ominous reading for Blades fans with the Yorkshire side failing to find the net in any of those four meetings. Three of the last four meetings have ended in a 1-0 Manchester City victory.
Key Betting Stats
- Manchester City are yet to concede a goal in the FA Cup this season having kept four consecutive clean sheets in this competition.
- Sheffield United have kept two clean sheets in their five FA Cup matches (vs Millwall and Spurs)
- In the Premier League, City have scored 3+ goals in each of their last three outings and in four of their last six.
- BTTS has landed in just two of Sheffield United’s last eight Championship matches.
- None of the last four meetings between these sides has featured more than two goals.
- Julian Alvarez may be given the nod in this game. He’s already notched three FA Cup goals this season, including two in the previous round.
- Iliman N’Diaye is the Blades’ top scorer with 13 goals this season. The Blades’ third top scorer James McAtee (8) isn’t eligible to feature here.
Match Prediction
This should be fairly plain sailing for Manchester City. Pep’s side have already knocked two Championship sides of the competition including Burnley, who are directly above Sheffield United in the second tier. The Blades should battle throughout the 90 minutes, yet the absence of McAtee and Doyle is likely to hit them hard.
Winning Combo
Manchester City to Win, BTTS NO and Julian Alvarez to Score Anytime
Odds – 9/4 with Bet365’s Bet Builder
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