MANCHESTER CITY may have lost their grip on the Premier League title but they are still the undisputed knockout kings of English football.
So it could get messy for Championship side Sheffield Wednesday as they step into the ring with Pep Guardiola's big hitters in the FA Cup.
Sunday's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa made it three League Cup triumphs in a row and City haven't lost a domestic cup tie since a shock 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Wigan in February 2018.
Sheffield Wednesday will take heart from that Wigan victory, given the Latics were in League One at the time, but it would be equally as shocking if they were to dump the holders out.
Since beating QPR in the last round, the Owls have won just one of their last eight games, severely undermining their bid to reach the play-offs.
Derby thumped them 3-1 at Hillsborough at the weekend and it's hard to see Gary Monk's defence coping with the interplay of City's talented attack.
Guardiola (below) made eight changes for the League Cup Final and still managed to come away with a victory, summing up the depth of his squad.
I'd expect him to freshen things up again here but whoever comes in should have too much class for Wednesday to deal with.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield Wednesday are rank outsiders, with Ladbrokes pricing the Owls at 14/1, while City's best price is 2/9 with Coral. The draw is 13/2 at Bet365 but even that looks beyond the Championship side.
To boost the odds on City, back them to win both halves, which is a more than decent 27/20 at 888Sport.
Head to head
Sheffield Wednesday last faced City in the FA Cup five years ago and came close to causing an upset at the Etihad (below). They led 1-0 at half-time only for James Milner to net a double after the break, his winner coming in the last minute.
But the Owls were hammered in the League Cup that same season, crashing to a 7-0 defeat at City's home.
The last Hillsborough meeting came in the FA Cup back in 2007, with the teams battling out a 1-1 draw before City won 2-1 at home in the replay.
You have to go all the way back to 1993 for Wednesday's last win over City, a 3-1 triumph at Maine Road.
Players to watch
City have a Manchester derby looming on Sunday so Guardiola will probably rest a few of his star players. Bernardo Silva, benched for the cup final on Sunday, should start and looks decent value at 23/10 with 888Sport for a goal.
Guardiola's defence still looks a bit suspect and our man Slips Tips cashed in on that by backing Villa to score in the League Cup Final. Wednesday's Steven Fletcher could get a bit of joy in the air, especially from set-pieces, and the Scot is 4/1 with Paddy Power for a goal here.
Anything else catch the eye?
I can see there being a few goals and over 3.5 strikes appeals at 59/50 with Marathonbet. City should also score in both halves and that's 3/4 with William Hill.
This FA Cup match between Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City will be played on Mar 4, 2020 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Sheffield Wednesday vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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