Manchester City Ready To Face Ex- Manchester United Neighboring Club In FA Cup
JAKARTA - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hopes to overcome the escort of his neighbor, Salford City, in the FA Cup Third Round match on Sunday, January 12, 2025, early morning WIB, at the Etihad Stadium.
The match between the two Manchester teams is expected to be more exciting. You see, Salford--the League Two (the England fourth level league)-- is owned by former Manchester United players, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Schholes, and David Beckham.
Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday, January 10, 2025, that he expects to face tough challenges against his own local team.
"I've lived at Salford for the last eight years. So, I played against the environment where I live," said Guardiola.
"(I) have great respect for the manager (Karl Robinson). Six matches, six clean-sheets, six wins. We take it seriously."
"Of course, as we have done at this club since I arrived. Hopefully we can play well and win three wins in a row. It hasn't happened in a long time," said Guardiola.
Guardiola further emphasized that he did not want to underestimate Salford even though he had a much different league level.
The reason is that the people behind the scenes of Salford, who are former Manchester United players, have a big impact. In addition, the presence of the former Red Devils also made the atmosphere of rivalry felt.
"Yes, they won a lot of titles, a generation of players. They won a lot of money. They can buy a team. So, that's good."
"They are smart people. When people from football run football clubs, (they) always make smart decisions," said the Spaniard.
The press conference was then closed with talks about the transfer market. So far, Manchester City has been linked with several players in the January 2025 window.
The Citizens are reportedly interested in center-back Palmeiras, Vitor Reis, as well as defender Lens, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Omar Marmoush of Eintracht Frankfurt. However, Guardiola did not answer a single one.