Manchester City vs Newcastle United

Etihad Stadium is the venue as Manchester City and Newcastle United lock horns in a handsomely-looking FA Cup quarter-final tie.

Except for a late 1-0 win against Tottenham in the fourth round, Manchester City’s FA Cup title defense has been plain sailing, with Pep Guardiola’s side beating Huddersfield and Luton 5-0 and 6-2, respectively, en route to the quarter-finals. Perennial Premier League champions maintained their dream of winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title with a 1-1 draw at Liverpool last weekend, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 21 matches (W18, D3). The Citizens seem well-positioned to make it 22, as they last suffered elimination from the FA Cup against a side outside the traditional ‘Big Six’ came in 2018 at the hands of Wigan. Moreover, Man City are yet to lose a competitive game at the Etihad this season (W15, D4).

In the meantime, Newcastle’s dreadful Premier League campaign hit a new low earlier this week as a 3-2 defeat at Chelsea diminished their hopes of securing a coveted European finish for the second season on the trot. Eddie Howe’s men have navigated three away ties to set up their first quarter-final appearance in the FA Cup since 2019/20 when they ominously lost to none other than Man City. Newcastle’s struggles in this fixture are long-standing, as they’ve lost their last nine visits to the Etihad, spanning back to October 2014, including the most recent five without scoring. However, the Magpies can find a glimmer of hope in a 1-0 H2H win in this season’s League Cup and their recent form resurgence on the road. They’ve won five of their last seven competitive away games (L2).