Manchester City take on Championship side Rotherham at the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
This will be City's first outing since their crucial 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Premier League on Thursday which took them to within four points of the league-leaders.
Their Cup opponents Rotherham are struggling in the second tier, sitting in 21st place just three points above the relegation zone. But, after being knocked out by lower league Wigan Athletic in last year's competition, Pep Guardiola will be wary of another upset. He will likely rotate his squad, however, after a busy festive period.
| Game | Manchester City vs Rotherham United |
| Date | Sunday, January 6 |
| Time | 2pm GMT / 9am ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live on ESPN+ on TV.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ESPN+ | N/A |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast on television or streamed online.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | N/A |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Manchester City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ederson, Muric |
| Defenders | Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Delph, Kompany, Stones, Danilo |
| Midfielders | Gundogan, Fernandinho, David Silva, Zinchenko, Mahrez, Foden |
| Forwards | Aguero, Sterling, Sane, Jesus |
Fabian Delph is serving the last game of a three-match ban while Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo are out with long-term injuries.
Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Foden, Mahrez, De Bruyne (C), Sterling; Jesus
| Position | Rotherham United squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Rodak, Price, Bilboe |
| Defenders | Ajayi, Wood, Robertson, Raggett, Ihiekwe, Hinds, Mattock, Jones, Vyner |
| Midfielders | Vaulks, Palmer, Potter, Towell, Wiles, Taylor, Williams, Newell, Forde, Bray |
| Forwards | Vassell, Smith, Proctor, Kayode |
On loan Brighton midfielder Richie Towell is suspended after getting a straight red against Bristol City two games ago.
Billy Jones returns from suspension but picked up a knock in training on Friday.
Rotherham XI: Rodak; Vyner, Ajayi, Robertson, Mattock; Forde, Vaulks, Wiles, Taylor; Williams, Smith
Betting & Match Odds
City are understandably 1/20 favourites to win at home with bet365 . Rotherham are big outsiders at 66/1 while a draw can be backed at 16/1.
Match Preview
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The FA Cup was the only domestic honour Guardiola's side failed to win last season after they lost in the fifth round to Wigan.
But City picked up valuable momentum last week after their win against Liverpool, so the atmosphere around the Etihad will be more positive now they have closed the gap on the Premier League leaders and put their December wobble of three defeats in three to bed.
That home victory, coupled with the 3-1 win at Southampton, means City now have two consecutive wins and will look to extend their run by following Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United into the next round.
A few fringe players will likely come in against Rotherham though, with Phil Foden expected to feature having so far failed to start a Premier League game.
United manager Paul Warne will not take any City XI lightly though and said before the game: "Everyone is looking forward to it, except possibly me as the manager! No, we're looking forward to it. Whichever team they put out will be really strong.
"I know that Man City want to do well in all of the cups and tournaments. Premier League players recover quickly so I won't be surprised to see a few big names in the team on Sunday.
"Whenever there is a football match, you've got a chance. We were possibly the poorest we've been on Saturday in the first half and we won the game. You don't have to be the better team to win. We'll turn up with a smile on our face and have a right go."
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