Prediction & odds for the game: Cheltenham (20/1) v Manchester City (1/11) – ST is backing the away win

When: Saturday, 23rd January @ 5.30pm K.O

Where: Whaddon Road

League Two side Cheltenham Town will hope to cause one of the biggest FA Cup upsets in recent memory when they host Manchester City in the fourth round.

Cheltenham

They may well be challenging for a playoff spot down in the fourth tier, but make no mistake about it – this is Cheltenham Town’s biggest game not only of the season, but of the last few years. They have a chance to cause one of the great David vs Goliath upsets in the FA Cup and while they face a massive uphill climb to achieve that goal, we think counting them out would be a significant mistake.

Cheltenham fans won’t want to remember the 3-0 defeat to Barrow back in December, but thankfully for them, they’ve gone unbeaten since that result. They drew with Stevenage and Colchester, edged past Mansfield in the FA Cup third round and also picked up a point against Bolton and Newport.

Manchester City

Manchester City and domestic cup competitions tend to go hand in hand together quite nicely, and with a man like Pep at the helm, anything is possible for this squad. They have quietly emerged as the leading contenders to win the Premier League title once again this season but you can bet they won’t be taking their eye off of the ball in the FA Cup. A quadruple could be a realistic possibility for them here, or at the very least, a domestic treble.

Winning has been the name of the game for quite some time at the Etihad and that’s been especially true in 2021. City have beaten Chelsea, Manchester United, Birmingham, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in the last 19 days alone – conceding just one goal across the three competitions.

Conclusion

The Robins are going to give it all they’ve got and we do actually think they’ll cause City a few problems here, but the class of Pep Guardiola’s squad should be able to shine through – and that’s what we’re anticipating will happen. We think City will take their time to get going before really ramping it up and giving Cheltenham a bloody nose, booking their place in the fifth round with relative ease.

Our scoreline prediction is going to be 4-1 Manchester City, ensuring we hit the over 2.5 goals marker. Cheltenham may not be favoured to score by many but if City take their foot off of the gas for even a second, the hosts are capable of punishing them for it with a goal of their own.

Verdict: Back the away win at odds of 1/11 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 1/3 (All odds are taken from bet365).

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If you want to bet on Cheltenham vs Manchester City then head on over to the betting page. Alternatively, you can check out some of the other available fixtures at the soccer predictions page as this season’s FA Cup journey continues.