"It won't be enough" - Chris Sutton predicts close scoreline between Luton Town and Manchester City in FA Cup 5th Round
Chris Sutton has given his prediction for the FA Cup 5th Round game between Manchester City and Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday, February 27.
The Cityzens are the current holders of the FA Cup title from last year after beating Manchester United 2-1 in the final. They have intentions of winning the trophy for the second time in a row, with their eyes on a consecutive treble if they can win other competitions.
In this season's FA Cup, City have already seen off Huddersfield Town with a 5-0 thrashing in the third round. They also narrowly beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the fourth round. Now, they need to get past Luton to enter the quarter-finals. This is the first FA Cup clash between both sides since January 1969, where the Cityzens were the more victorious side, winning 1-0.
Writing in the BBC, Chris Sutton started his prediction by taking a walk down memory lane:
"I didn't expect Manchester City to start reminding me of George Graham's Arsenal side of the 1990s, but they are winning ugly at the moment, with back-to-back 1-0 wins.
"Luton gave City a good game at Kenilworth Road before Christmas, when they led 1-0 at half-time before losing 2-1, and I think Hatters boss Rob Edwards will go for it again here, despite having Premier League survival to think about."
While expecting a close match, Sutton sees Manchester City as the likely winners as he wrote:
"I am expecting City to edge it again this time, although I am not quite sure what team their manager Pep Guardiola will put out... One of City's strengths is the way they can rotate and still be so strong. Luton have got a goal in them, but it won't be enough."
Sutton concluded by predicting a narrow 2-1 victory for Manchester City, expecting Luton Town to score but ultimately fail to win.
Manchester City manager Guardiola looks forward to end-of-season challenges
Pep Guardiola is ready for the pressure as Manchester City approach the final stages of the season. He shared his thoughts about heading into the crunch stages of the season. Speaking ahead of City's match against Luton, he said to the press (via France24):
"Playing every game that you have the feeling if you lose 'bye, bye', it's so nice. The problem in September and October is that you see the expectations far, far away, so in that moment you don't have to think about any titles, not even now I would say."
The Cityzens are doing well in their quest for trophies. They have already won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup this season.
In the Premier League, they are sitting just one point behind leaders Liverpool. They are close to reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, having beaten Copenhagen 3-1 away in the Round of 16 first leg. They are also in the fifth round of the FA Cup.