Seeking to swiftly brush aside their humbling Premier League defeat at Arsenal, Manchester City travel to Brisbane Road to face League One playoff hopefuls Leyton Orient in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday lunchtime.
The two teams meet for the first time since playing out a 2-2 draw in the second tier back in May 1966 when the Citizens were promoted as champions and the O's were relegated after finishing rock bottom.
Match preview
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After accumulating 13 points from a run of five Premier League games (W4 D1), Man City's mini revival was ended in emphatic fashion by Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, who secured a thumping 5-1 victory over the reigning champions at the Emirates last Sunday.
Erling Haaland's second-half equaliser was his 250th career goal after 313 games - reaching that impressive landmark quicker than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to name just a few - but as soon as the Citizens restored parity, they lost their way and Arsenal scored a further four goals to condemn Pep Guardiola's men to their seventh league loss of the campaign.
Guardiola admitted post-match that he 'regretted' the way his City side finished the contest in North London and has seen his team slip to fifth in the Premier League table, nine points behind Arsenal in second, but only two behind fourth-placed Chelsea with 14 league games still remaining.
Man City will now shift their focus to two different competitions, with an important Champions League playoff first leg at home to Real Madrid to follow this weekend's FA Cup clash with Leyton Orient - City's most favourable-looking fixture, on paper, over the next couple of months with encounters against Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Brighton all on the horizon.
The Citizens have won their last 17 FA Cup matches against lower-league opposition by an aggregate score of 67-8 - the longest such run by any team in the competition's history - including their 8-0 demolition of Salford City in the third round. They have also lost only two of their previous 16 meetings with Orient, so there is reason for Guardiola and co to be confident of success on Saturday.
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Leyton Orient's impressive 11-game unbeaten run in League One was brought to an end by Stockport County last weekend, as they suffered a slender 1-0 home defeat, just five days after thrashing Exeter City by a 6-2 scoreline.
Despite dominating proceedings in possession, the O's failed to register any of their eight shots on target and a 14th-minute strike from Stockport's Kyle Wooton ultimately condemned them to their second home defeat in three matches, having previously lost 1-0 to Stevenage in the EFL Trophy.
Richie Wellens has since been left "deeply embarrassed" and has apologised for a "stupid comment" he made post-match about Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou. Asked if injuries had played a part in Orient's loss, Wellens said: "I'm not going to make excuses, I'm not Ange Postecoglou."
Wellens and co remain in promotion contention despite their defeat to fourth-placed Stockport, as they sit sixth in the League One standings, but there are just six points separating them from Blackpool in 13th spot. Securing at least a playoff spot is high on the agenda for Orient, but they must now turn their attention to Saturday's FA Cup glamour tie with seven-time winners Man City.
After beating Derby County 6-5 on penalties in the third round, Orient are now competing in the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since 2010-11 when they beat Swansea 2-1 as a 17-year-old Harry Kane watched on as an unused substitute. The O's head into Saturday's tie having lost their previous two FA Cup encounters with Man City, albeit many years ago - losing 4-1 in January 1920 (first round) and 6-1 in March 1926 (quarter-finals).
Team News
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Leyton Orient could once again be without right-back Sean Clare and centre-back Omar Beckles due to injury, while Jordan Graham, Dan Agyei, Jack Simpson and Ollie O'Neill are also in the treatment room.
The absence of Beckles is set to see Brandon Cooper continue alongside Dan Happe at the heart of defence, although deadline day signing Rarmani Edmonds-Green is another centre-back option at Wellens's disposal.
Fellow new recruit Randell Williams could make his debut on either wing, although he is likely to begin as a substitute this weekend, while top scorer Charlie Kelman - on loan from QPR who has 12 goals to his name - is expected to start up front.
As for Man City, Ederson and Oscar Bobb will be assessed ahead of kickoff, the former of whom missed the defeat to Arsenal with a 'minor injury' according to Guardiola, while Rodri, Jeremy Doku, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias all set to remain sidelined.
With one eye on next week's Champions League clash with Real Madrid, Guardiola is expected to rotate in a few positions, with new signings Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis in contention to start in defence along with Rico Lewis and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey.
James McAtee is poised to start in midfield and Divin Mubama could lead the line if Erling Haaland is given a rest, while it remains to be seen whether £50m deadline day arrival Nico Gonzalez will be ready to make his debut in midfield.
Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:
Keeley; James, Cooper, Happe, Currie; Pratley, Brown; Perkins, Donley, Abdulai; Kelman
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Lewis; Khusanov, Stones, O'Reilly; Gundogan, McAtee; Savinho, De Bruyne, Grealish; Mubama
We say: Leyton Orient 1-3 Manchester City
Both teams enter Saturday's contest missing players through injury, but Man City will still be regarded as firm favourites to come out on top, even if Guardiola makes multiple changes to his lineup.
Leyton Orient have scored in each of their last eight FA Cup home ties and will back themselves to make the net ripple once again against a defensively frail Man City outfit, but if the visitors perform as emphatically as they did in front of goal in the previous round against Salford, then they should have few issues outscoring the O's en route to reaching the fifth round.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
