FA Cup: Manchester City can keep treble dream alive with a win over Wednesday

Manchester City claimed their first silverware of the season on Sunday with a win over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup and could advance to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

With no realistic chance of defending their Premier League title, Pep Guardiola’s men now have their eyes set on a cup treble having bagged an impressive win against Real Madrid last week in the last-16 of the Champions League.

Following City’s recent victories at Wembley and in Madrid – not to mention 109 goals in all competitions this season – Sheffield Wednesday will be aware of the size of the task ahead of them.

Manchester City top scorer Sergio Aguero is fit despite being forced off in the Carabao Cup final with a cut while back-up goalkeeper Claudio Bravo will keep his place but long-term absentee Leroy Sane is not yet ready to return.

Meanwhile, T#the Owls, who last reached the FA Cup quarter-finals 23 years ago, will hope to put a run of just two victories in their last 13 league matches behind them for the visit of the champions.

They last progressed to the quarter-finals of this competition back in 1997 and have lost five successive fifth-round ties.

Wednesday will be without Connor Wickham and Josh Windass, both of whom are cup-tied while Steven Fletcher was substituted at half-time against Derby as a precaution following his recent return from injury but the striker is available to play.

“We’re going to play against the champions of England and we know the quality they have right throughout, one of the best sides in Europe with one of the best managers over the past 15 years,” said Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk:

“We have to get everything right at a very high level with no mistakes.”

City have never lost to a Championship side under Pep Guardiola and his side have won their last five FA Cup games against clubs from a lower division, scoring 22 goals in the process with their last such defeat coming at this stage of the competition against Wigan in 2018.

Wednesday’s most recent victory against City was 3-1 in a Premier League game at Maine Road in November 1993 and the Blues are unbeaten in their past 11 league and cup games against the Owls.

Even so, the Manchester City manager is taking nothing for granted in what could be a tricky tie under the lights at Hillsborough on Wednesday night.

“Away in the FA Cup is always difficult,” he said. “But we can go through to the quarter-finals and that is what we have to do. We have to be focused on that.”