Manchester City head across the Pennines to face Sheffield Wednesday in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The blues, who beat Fulham and Port Vale to get to this stage, enter the match on the back of a four match winning run which has seen City beat West Ham, Leicester and Real Madrid as well as retaining the League Cup.
Wednesday won just one match throughout the while of February, losing three with two of those at home. Ominously for the Owls, they have conceded six goals in those two defeats and face a blues side that has scored 109 goals so far this season.
On paper, the blues should make it to the quarter finals, but anything could happen in the FA Cup, but the stats are not on the side of the Owls.
The two teams have met four times in the FA Cup, with two of those matches going to a replay – both of those matches were drawn at the home of Sheffield Wednesday and if they hold the blues again, this time, it will go to penalties rather than a replay.
City have won all four of the FA Cup ties, with the last one as recent as January 2015, which City won 2-1.
City’s last visit to Hillsborough was in January 2007, again in the FA Cup which ended 1-1, however City’s last visit in the league came in September 2001, when the blues won 6-2 in Yorkshire.
Overall in cup competitions, City have lost just one of seven cup ties between the two sides. That solitary defeat came in October 1991 when City travelled to Sheffield to face the Owls in the now defunct Zenith Data Systems Cup, with the Owls running out 3-2 winners.
Wednesday’s match will be City’s fifth successive appearance in the fifth round, while Wednesday last made the fifth round two tears ago when they lost to Swansea City.
Who will progress? Will City suffer the indignity of another fifth round defeat to lower league opposition, or will they take another step towards Wembley?