Manchester City vs. Sheffield Wednesday: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV, Preview
You suspect Manchester City will be glad to get a break from the unrelenting pressure of a Premier League title race when they welcome Sheffield Wednesday to the Etihad Stadium in Round 3 of the FA Cup.
The two sides met earlier in the season in the League Cup, and Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping for a performance of comparable swagger in the second domestic cup competition; City turned on the style in the second half of that one, scoring seven goals after the break to beat the Owls 7-0.
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The FA Cup is a tournament that both sides will surely take a lot more seriously, though. Subsequently, we should see a much tighter game, and given City’s recent exertions in domestic and European football, perhaps Stuart Gray and his team will fancy their chances of springing an upset.
Here’s all the details you need on where to catch the action and a closer look at both teams on the cusp of what should be an intriguing tie.
Date: Sunday, Jan. 4
Time: 3 p.m. (GMT), 10 a.m. (ET)
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (US), BBC Radio 5 Live - Audio (UK)
TV Info: Fox Sports 2 (US)
Wednesday Looking For Cup Revenge
Sheffield Wednesday are a club with a proud FA Cup prestige. The Owls have won the competition an impressive three times in their history, and while the Hillsborough outfit have been kicking around in the lower tiers in recent seasons, it’s a competition that they always seem to do well in.
But they’ll have to be at their very, very best if they’re to get anything from this game at the Etihad. Wednesday are having a decent domestic season, though, and come into this one on the back of two consecutive wins in the Championship; they’re currently in 10th place in the division, just six points off a playoff spot.
It’s little surprise that Gray is looking forward to the occasion, per the club’s official Twitter account:
Indeed, the second-tier side were well in the game at half=time back in September, but a red card ultimately curtailed their hopes of getting anything. Frank Lampard was a player who scored two goals in that 7-0 rout, and you suspect Pellegrini will turn to his experience at the heart of midfield with rotations likely.
As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, the former Chelsea man has already made a vital impact for the champions in domestic action:
City can’t afford any complacency on the cusp of this one, though. Last season they were dumped out of this competition on the back of a moribund performance against Wigan Athletic—and with the FA Cup’s longstanding patent for shock results, it’s vital they preserve their focus ahead of this one.
It’s something that’s not been too prevalent in City’s matches in recent weeks, however. After all, in their last two home games they’ve let two-goal leads slip against Burnley and Sunderland, although they went on to beat the Black Cats 3-2 in the end. Wednesday will surely be looking to capitalise on that evident lackadaisical streak in their play.
But even after rotating their first XI, City will simply have too much class for the second-tier side. Stevan Jovetic’s return will be a big boost for the hosts, meaning that Pellegrini will be able to field a recognised striker and his intelligent forward play will be too hot for Wednesday to handle.
If the visitors can stay cohesive, close off the space well and ride their luck, then a replay is not completely out of the question. But Gray’s side will need to perform to their absolute maximum for that to happen. Sadly for the swathes of supporters making the trip from Sheffield, it looks set to be a fruitless afternoon for the Championship side.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday
