Match Highlights
Pre Match Video
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini spoke on Friday (29 January) ahead of his side’s FA Cup fourth round tie at Aston Villa on Saturday.
(on Kevin De Bruyne’s 10-week injury lay-off):
“Well, we knew after the game that it was a serious injury, not to be the whole season away because it’s not the cruciate ligament, but we knew it was important damage. We hope that he can return before…. but the first diagnostic is that he must be out eight to ten weeks.”
(Q: How big a blow is that for you and the squad?)
“We must continue playing with the whole squad if we want to be a competitive team. So we have an important player less, but we must continue with optimism and more responsibility for the rest of the squad.”
(on the possibility of City winning four trophies this season)
“I don’t know if it’s realistic or not, but we are not thinking about that. We are just thinking about Aston Villa, we have to play tomorrow and after that we have to focus on the next game. I think all the other things are not important, it’s important to continue to be involved in all the competitions and in every competition to demonstrate that you are a strong team.”
(on opponents Aston Villa)
“No, it’s the ame team because we played the first game that Remi (Garde, Villa manager) was in charge of Aston Villa, he played against our team. We drew 0-0 in their stadium, so I think that tomorrow (it) will be a similar game, it was very difficult also.”
Aston Villa manager Remi Garde spoke on Friday (29 January) about the following day’s FA Cup fourth round tie with Manchester City.
(what it would mean to knock Manchester City out of the FA Cup):
“Probably it could be, massive…. very important. But then this is fiction. We have not played the game and, but for sure, that’s what I said earlier. We are going into that game to keep our momentum. We know that of course it will be the…. most difficult game we are going to play since we are going to play since we are unbeaten. But we played also Leicester.”
(on the importance of winning at home and raise the confidence of the club’s supporters)
“It’s very important. I mean, even if when we are playing away we have the full support of our fans, especially the last game. It was very, very, fantastic for the player(s) to feel that and of course now we are playing a home game and hopefully the fans will be behind us.”
(on Aston Villa’s efforts to sign players during the January transfer window)
“Everybody’s working on these players, myself and other people involved in the club in this process. Then as you know it’s, for many reason(s) it’s difficult for us at the moment to sign players, but hopefully before Monday, I’m still hoping that, I can have more players.”
Team Lineups
Substitutes: Hart, Aguero, Silva, Celina, Barker, Tasende, Humphreys.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Caballero; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Sagna, Clichy; Fernando, Delph; Jesus Navas, Fernandinho, Sterling; Iheanacho.
Substitutes: Bunn, Okore, Agbonlahor, Lescot, Hutton, Lyden, Grealish.
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Cissokho; Veretout, Gueye, Westwood; Ayew, Gil, Sinclair.
