Manchester City vs Plymouth Prediction: Citizens should ease past Liverpool’s conquerors

Plymouth Argyle won 1-0 at Premier League Brentford in the third round of the FA Cup and followed up with a famous 1-0 home victory against Liverpool in round four.

The Pilgrims, who are scrapping for survival in this season's Championship, travel to Manchester City with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. Read on for my Manchester City vs Plymouth predictions, as well as the latest match odds and team news.

Football Odds

Team News

Manchester City are missing the injured John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Rodri. Oscar Bobb may not be risked but youngsters James McAtee and Nico O'Reilly are pushing for starts. Omar Marmoush is likely to lead the line with Erling Haaland rested.

Plymouth forward Ryan Hardie, their goalscoring hero against Liverpool, is sidelined along with Joe Edwards, Brendan Galloway and Muhamed Tijani. Mustapha Bundu and Michael Obafemi are vying for a start up front.

Manchester City vs Plymouth Odds

Manchester City have not had a straightforward season but they are 1/14 to beat 33/1 FA Cup visitors Plymouth in 90 minutes, with the draw priced up at 12/1.

Plymouth defeated Premier League sides Brentford and Liverpool 1-0 in the third and fourth rounds and a repeat of that scoreline at the Etihad Stadium can be backed at 80/1.

Manchester City to win 3-0 @ 11/2

Manchester City have struggled for consistency this season but they are still capable of turning on the style at the Etihad Stadium.

The Citizens suffered defeats to European champions Real Madrid and runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool on their own patch in February.

However, in their other five home fixtures in 2025, they have beaten West Ham 4-1, Salford 8-0 in the FA Cup third round, Chelsea 3-1, Club Brugge 3-1 and Newcastle 4-0.

Wednesday's 1-0 league victory at Tottenham boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League and the 3-0 City win appeals when they host poor travellers Plymouth.

The Pilgrims are winless in 17 Championship away fixtures this season, scoring only six goals on the road, and their top scorer, Ryan Hardie, is an injury absentee.

Manager Miron Muslic admits that Tuesday's league trip to survival rivals Hull is his top priority so Plymouth's memorable FA Cup run looks likely to end in Manchester.

Bet Builder - Manchester City/Manchester City Half-Time/Full-Time, under 39.5 booking points & Omar Marmoush to score two or more goals @ 11/2

Manchester City produced an impressive first-half performance against Tottenham on Wednesday and they should have extended their lead after Erling Haaland's 12th-minute opener.

City have been ahead at the break in seven of their last eight league victories and they were 3-0 up at half-time in January's FA Cup win against Salford.

Another fast start is expected when they face Plymouth, who will need to keep their discipline if they are to trouble their hosts.

Under 39.5 booking points was a winner in City's cup ties against Salford and Leyton Orient and it looks a solid selection again.

Boost the Bet Builder odds by backing City forward Omar Marmoush to score two or more goals.

The Egypt international, who scored 15 goals in 17 Bundesliga starts for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, notched a first-half hat-trick against Newcastle last month and had four shots, two of them on target, in last weekend's defeat to Liverpool.

Offers

Friday/Saturday: Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any FA Cup or Championship game on Friday or Saturday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Sunday’s games. (Credited upon Bet Settlement)

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.