Manchester City will play host to League One side Exeter City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium.
View our Manchester City vs Exeter City predictions below.
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Manchester City vs Exeter City prediction: Comfortable victory for the home side
Key stats
- Manchester City are undefeated in their last 11 games.
- Exeter are undefeated in their last three matches.
- The Citizens are winning the first half in eight of their last 10 matches.
Correct score prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Exeter City
Man City are second in the Premier League table with 43 points from 21 games, six points behind leaders Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola's side are winless in their last three games, and they will be looking to get back to winning ways against Exeter, who sit 14th in the League One table.
Even with dropping several first-team players for this game, Man City should be able to win this tie comfortably, by over 2.5 goals.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Man City strong favourites
HOME: 1/10 (1.1) – 90.9%
DRAW: 11/1 (12) – 8.3%
AWAY: 16/1 (17) – 5.9%
*Odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Thus, we can see Man City are overwhelming favourites for this game, and they are priced by the bookies at 1/10 (1.1) with 90.9% chances of winning.
Man City have been scoring first in six of their last seven games, and they have been winning the first half in eight of their last 10 matches. They are at 3/8 (1.38) with 72.5% chances of winning at both halves.
The Premier League side has seen under 10.5 corners in all of their previous eight games, and under 10.5 corners at 19/20 (1.95) looks really tempting.
Don’t forget to check out more of our best betting tips and predictions after you’ve dissected our Manchester City vs Exeter City predictions.
Most recent H2Hs: First meeting
This is the first meeting between the two sides. Exeter have already beaten Manchester United in the EFL Cup, but can they beat another Manchester club in a cup game?
Manchester City preview: Squad rotation
The FA Cup fixture offers the best opportunity for Pep Guardiola to rest several of his key first-team players amid a hectic schedule across multiple competitions.
The Spaniard is likely to field many talented academy players in this fixture, but they are more than capable of competing against the experienced players from the lower division.
Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Savinho, Oscar Bobb, John Stones, and Mateo Kovacic are all sidelined with injuries, while Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri remain away at the AFCON.
Predicted lineups: Trafford (GK), Lewis, Mfuni, Alleyne, Naylor, Gray, J. Heskey, McAidoo, Cherki, R. Heskey & Mukasa
Last five results:
- Manchester City 1-1 Brighton
- Man City 1-1 Chelsea
- Sunderland 0-0 Man City
- Nottingham Forest 1-2 Man City
- Man City 3-0 West Ham
Exeter City preview: Can they cause an upset?
Exeter would fancy their chances of upsetting the Premier League giants, especially if Guardiola decides to field a starting line-up full of young and inexperienced academy players.
Johnly Yfeko, Josh Magennis, Ryan Rydel and Danny Andrew are currently out with injuries, while Pierce Sweeney and Jake Doyle-Hayes could force their way into the starting XI after dropping down to the bench in the previous game.
Predicted lineups: Whitworth (GK), Sweeney, Fitzwater, Turns, Niskanen, Doyle-Hayes, Brierley, McMillan, Cole, Aitchison & Wareham
Last five results:
- Huddersfield 2-2 Exeter
- Exter 1-0 Luton
- AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Exeter
- Cardiff 1-0 Exeter
- Exeter 3-0 Barnsley
Player to watch: Rayan Cherki
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder joined Man City in the summer transfer window and has made a strong impact.
The French attacker has scored five goals and registered eight assists in all competitions, and he will be looking to add to the goal tally this weekend.
