Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor says that this weekend’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie at Bristol City offers a great opportunity to progress and he is very much looking forward to the game.
The Cityzens face a Bristol City side who are currently joint-top of the Barclays Women’s Championship table, however, Manchester City will be confident going into their latest game after defeating the same opponents 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup in January.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester City boss Taylor said that his side will face a different test against Bristol City this time around but the game still offers a great opportunity to progress in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup.
“There will be some differences for sure, that inside knowledge of playing a team can help you sometimes or prepare you for what you might expect to see,” Taylor said. “It’s obviously a different venue; we are playing at their training ground now rather than Ashton Gate, that’ll be different in itself.
“I’m pretty confident that with the players that we have and the quality that we are showing at the moment (we can get a result).
“We have got to see a good version of ourselves. Sometimes, after an international break and only having a couple of days’ training, the travel that some players have had, it can be difficult. It’s about making sure we check in on the players to make sure that they are happy, hungry and ready to play.
“It is a game I’m looking forward to. It’s a good opportunity for us to go down there and earn the right to be in the next round. The FA Cup is a special competition and these are the games that you really look forward to.”
Manchester City face the unique challenge of playing at The Robins High Performance Centre this weekend, a venue which is very open and where fans will be close to the pitch. Taylor doesn’t think that the surroundings will cause his side too many issues.
He said “Whether we are playing at Wembley in front of a full crowd, The Etihad, The Academy Stadium or the type of venue we are going to see on Sunday, nothing really changes on what happens on the pitch. The dimensions are usually the same, the goals are in the same place.
“You have to try and shut out that outside noise a little bit but it is not an issue for us, the players are really good in that space, very professional. We try our best, we make mistakes at times, but the intention is there.”
Manchester City’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie at Bristol City kicks-off at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.
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