The Premier League champions will have to be wary of a giant-killing when they head to Rodney Parade in the last 16 of football's oldest competition

Having reasserted their lead at the top of the Premier League table in dominant fashion against Chelsea, Manchester City turn their eye back to knockout football with a trip to Newport Country in the FA Cup fifth round.

Pep Guardiola’s side head to Rodney Parade to kick off a run of three games across three different competitions, with Champions League and Carabao Cup encounters against Schalke and the Blues on the horizon.

As such, their League Two hosts may seem like small opposition in comparison – but City will be wary of something a potential giant-killing at the hands of the Welsh outfit, having slipped up to Wigan at the same stage last season.

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With Leicester already dismissed in the third round, Michael Flynn’s side will be chasing a second top-flight scalp – and arguably the biggest of them all in the history of the club.

Game Newport County vs Manchester City
Date Saturday, February 16
Time 5:30pm GMT / 12:30pm ET
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game will not be broadcast on television but will be available for streaming on the ESPN+ service.

US TV channel Online stream
N/A ESPN+
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be shown on BT Sport 2 and streamed on the BT Sport Live app.

UK TV channel Online stream
BT Sport 2 BT Sport Live
Squads & Team News
Position Newport County squad
Goalkeepers Day, Townsend
Defenders Poole, Franks, Demetriou, O'Brien, Neufville, Pipe, Hornby-Forbes
Midfielders Willmott, Bakinson, Bennett, Butler, Dolan, Crofts, Labadie, Sheehan
Forwards Kennedy, Amond, Matt, Marsh-Brown, Ayeez, McKirdy
Having been unlucky to slip to defeat against MK Dons last time out, Michael Flynn may keep faith with the same side for the visit of the Citizens.

Padraig Amond will lead the attack in a potential 3-4-1-2 formation as the hosts look to unlock their top-flight opponents.

Potential Newport County starting XI: Day; Poole, Franks, Demetriou; Willmott, Bakinson, Bennett, Butler; Kennedy; Amond, Matt.

Position Manchester City players
Goalkeepers Ederson, Muric
Defenders Stones, Laporte, Otamendi, Mangala, Sandler, Zinchenko, Walker, Danilo
Midfielders Fernandinho, Gundogan, Foden, Delph, De Bruyne, D. Silva
Forwards Sane, Sterling, B. Silva, Mahrez, Aguero, Jesus
With two arguably more vital encounters in the next few days, Pep Guardiola is likely to rotate his side in order to reduce the chance of any injuries to key players.

Claudio Bravo and Vincent Kompany, however, remain sidelined, while Benjamin Mendy is still a doubt.

Potential Manchester City starting XI: Muric; Danilo, Stones, Otamendi, Delph; Gundogan, Foden, D. Silva; Mahrez, Jesus, Sane

Betting & Match Odds
City are overwhelming favourites to progress and are odds-on at 1/20 with bet365. Newport are priced at a very distant 33/1 while a draw is available at 14/1.

Click here to see all of bet 365's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

Match Preview
Pep Guardiola Manchester City 2018-19

With their grasp on the summit of the Premier League restored following a 6-0 humiliation of Chelsea, Manchester City look to have overcome their brief blip and are firing on all cylinders once more.

The Sky Blues remain in contention for all three major domestic honours and the Champions League – and it is to those knockout competitions that their attention now turns as they travel to Newport County in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

With defences of their top flight and Carabao Cup titles well on track and the final of the latter against Maurizio Sarri’s Blues in only a matter of days, Pep Guardiola’s dream of a treble or even a quadruple remains alive.

But with football’s oldest competition the only key English trophy he is yet to lift, the Spaniard will be wary of falling foul of another giant-killing.


It was at this very stage last season that Wigan Athletic delivered an upset to knock the Citizens out of the running, and they will be determined to not let lightning strike twice.

Michael Flynn and his League Two hosts, however, will have something different in mind as they look to claim their visitors as the second Premier League scalp of their season.

A third-round win over Leicester City upset the bookmakers and, having overcome Middlesbrough since to reach the last 16, the Welsh outfit will be determined to write a little bit of history of their own.