Brisbane Road will play host to an intriguing FA Cup fourth-round tie on Saturday lunchtime, as Leyton Orient lock horns with Manchester City.
Seven-time FA Cup winners City will be licking their wounds after being obliterated 5-1 by Arsenal last Sunday, in a game that brought up one of my Emirates selections.
That latest body blow has left Pep Guardiola’s side 15 points off the pace in the Premier League and in danger of missing out on a place in next season's Champions League.
Seeking to bounce back at the first time of asking, the Sky Blues will look to avoid an almighty upset when they come up against Leyton Orient.
The O’s set up this money-spinning tie by edging past English Championship outfit Derby County on penalties in the previous round.
Richie Wellens’ side were enjoying an 11-game unbeaten run in English League One before falling to a 1-0 defeat at home to Stockport last weekend.
How the bookies view it: No City stumble
Manchester City are expected to make light work of Leyton Orient on Saturday lunchtime, as evidenced by their lowly odds of 1/12 on Boylesports.
Leyton Orient are lofty 22/1 underdogs on Boylesports to pull off an FA Cup giant killing inside 90 minutes, while an all square affair in regulation time is also considered unlikely at 10/1 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: History book dormant
The two teams will cross paths for the first time since way back in 1966 when they came up against each other in the second tier.
The duo have previously met twice in the FA Cup, with Man City taking top honours on both occasions.
Players to watch: Marmoush to make his mark?
New Man City forward Omar Marmoush could potentially be deployed in the number nine role on Saturday afternoon, making him an attractive anytime goalscorer option at 10/11 on Boylesports.
Charlie Kelman is Leyton Orient’s leading marksman in League One this season with eight goals to his name. The United States international is as big as 11/2 on Boylesports to make the net bulge against Man City.
Predicted line-ups
Leyton Orient boss Wellens could be without as many as five players for the visit of star-studded Man City.
As has been the case for a number of weeks now, Man City again look set to be without injured quartet Nathan Ake, Oscar Bobb, Rodri and Ruben Dias.
Leyton Orient: Keeley; Galbraith, Beckles, Cooper, Currie; Pratley, Clare; Markanday, Donley, Abdulai; Kelman
Man City: Ortega; Lewis; Khusanov, Stones, O'Reilly; Gundogan, McAtee; Savinho, De Bruyne, Grealish; Marmoush
Anything else catch the eye?
Leyton Orient warrant support to score at least once during this cup tie at 13/10 on Boylesports.
The O’s have notched in nine of their last 12 outings in English League One, striking six times away from home against Exeter last midweek.
While toppling the star-studded Citizens will likely prove a bridge too far, Orient could land a blow on a City backline that has been breached in 18 of their last 22 matches across all competitions.
This FA Cup match between Leyton Orient and Manchester City will be played on Feb 8, 2025 and kick off at 12:15. Check below for our tipsters best Leyton Orient vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
