Manchester City

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Champions League play-off first leg against Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium (20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola says he "still has doubts about injuries" but did not comment specifically on new signing Nico Gonzalez, who went off injured on his debut at Leyton Orient on Saturday.

• On results in the league phase causing City to face a play-off: "We have not done quite well, we deserve to be where we are. The draw is the draw and we accept the challenge. When you finish 22nd out of 24, you cannot ask for any favours. We didn't get enough points to even be close to the [top] eight."

• On the challenge posed by Real Madrid: "Their front players are exceptional. They have the ability for short, long passes so we have to impose our game. They are top of the league and fighting against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. We will have to make two good games to beat them."

• When asked if poor results make him fear for his job, Guardiola said: "No. I don't know if a doctor or an architect will be asked about his position. I am here because of what I have won in previous seasons. I don't think I am going to be thrown out on to the street."

• On what beating Real could mean for City's season: "If we win it will be a big boost for the remainder of the season. I know how we want to play, I know they are looking forward to the game tomorrow. We cannot forget that a decade ago we weren't here."

• On playing the first leg at Etihad Stadium: "It's always better to have the game at home second with your own people, but we didn't deserve it."

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Listen to live BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Man City v Real Madrid on Tuesday

We asked for your views on Manchester City's victory against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.

Here are some of your comments:

John: Lethargic as usual. Very lucky to go through. We need to get the ball quicker up to the forwards before the defence has chance to settle.

Andrew: Plenty of players rested but enjoyed the game. Thought Khusanov played well and showed a good combination with Stones. Literally a touch of class from De Bruyne - who else? Lewis is great but needs Stones or Dias behind him for security. Sorry to see Nico go off and that hip will be sore - very unlucky.

Abdullah: Not the best performance. You can see that Marmoush needs time to settle. A lucky win. We are struggling against teams we shouldn't be but all in all a good win and it kept us safe from a shock (for now).

Zuhaan: City need to convert their chances and prevent counters from the opposition. It's a massive shame that Nico Gonzalez had to go off. I was really looking forward to watching him play. I am really happy that Khusanov got his first goal for City. We could have been so much better but at least we were resilient enough to come back. City should really go for the FA Cup this season as it is always nice to have silverware.

Brian: This was a struggle from the first minute. Man City did have positive attempts on goal but Grealish was unconvincing with the ball and his distribution is poor. City were clearly at sea in defence and a swift ball into the box is a weakness point. We won but not in a convincing fashion. This was a good opportunity to gel players who are new to the club. The uneven surface probably contributed to the loss of possession at times. City can and must do better.

Image source, Getty Images

Phil Foden made his 300th appearance in all competitions for Manchester City. He's the sixth player to play 300 times under Pep Guardiola, and the first player under-25 to reach the milestone.

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola spoke to BBC Sport after Manchester City's victory against Leyton Orient: "We played a really good game, it was a typical FA Cup game - that's why this competition is unbelievable. We knew that they were strong and they'd run in the channels. They are a really good team and incredibly well managed but we created a lot of chances. I'm happy to go through."

On whether he felt his side struggled in the first-half: "I don't think so. The first 10/15 minutes maybe but after the fantastic goal that they had - we took the game and created a lot of chances."

On whether he was frustrated that he had to bring on Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne: "Absolutely not, that is why they are here. We talk this competition incredibly seriously and we thought it was the best decision to make. I am happy for Kevin's goal, his movement was really good.

On Nico Gonzalez's injury: "Welcome to the Premier League and the referees. Maybe he knew about the referees because I understand it's not easy. It's not easy to do something when you play against teams like in League One."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Man City's performance

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Nine Premier League teams are competing in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Leyton Orient v Man City (12:15) - watch on BBC One and listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Coventry v Ipswich

• Everton v Bournemouth

• Southampton v Burnley

• Wigan v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Birmingham v Newcastle (17:45) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brighton v Chelsea (20:00) - watch on BBC One and listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

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The fifth-round draw will take place during Monday's episode of The One Show on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Former England winger Theo Walcott, who won the trophy twice while with Arsenal, will conduct the draw at about 19:10 GMT.

There are 16 Premier League teams left in the draw, with Leicester having been beaten by Manchester United on Friday, and Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham exiting in the third round.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will probably make some changes with his side's Champions League tie against Real Madrid coming up on Tuesday, but he won't just field a load of kids.

Instead it will probably be Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish who come into the side, so City are hardly going to be lacking experience.

Leyton Orient have already been one of the stories of this season's FA Cup, thanks to goalkeeper Josh Keeley, who went up for a stoppage-time corner in their second-round win over Oldham and scored a 99th-minute equaliser to force extra time, then Dan Agyei got their winner in the 121st minute.

Orient went on to knock out Championship side Derby County on penalties in round three to earn this tie, but I feel a bit sorry for them because they won't be at full strength here.

They had a good January in terms of making signings but lots of the new players won't be eligible here, and they have some injuries to contend with too.

Saturday's loss at home to Stockport County was their first defeat in 13 games and while they have been in excellent form, they have lost a bit of momentum.

Their manager Richie Wellens is a boyhood Manchester United fan who started his career with the Reds and would love to get one over City, but I don't see it happening for him.

City won't get as many as they did against Salford City in round three, but they are going through. Orient will get a goal, but that's all.

Sutton's prediction: 1-3

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Manchester City winger Kayky has re-joined Brazilian side Bahia on loan until June.

The Brazilian spent the first half of this season in Holland, on loan at Sparta Rotterdam and made seven appearances in all competitions.

He was at Bahia in 2023, scoring three goals in 28 appearances.

The 21-year-old has only made two appearances for City, both in the 2021-22 season, and will now spend the rest of the season on loan in Brazil.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at League One Leyton Orient (12:15 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola said "maybe some" players will come back from injury for this game, but "we'll see". Ruben Dias, Jeremy Doku, Ederson, and Nathan Ake all returned to first-team training this week.

• He said new signing Nico Gonzalez is "really important": "It's a position where we were weak after the absence of Rodri. A young player, 23 years old, who can play number six and number eight and more in the pockets. [He has] physicality - he's a strong young boy."

• Guardiola said to "look to the politicians" when discussing the racial abuse received by City women's player Khadija Shaw: "Unfortunately, it is all around the world, and football is another expression. I support her, like I support all people who receive abuse in terms of racism [and] gender."

• On the lack of regular football for £100m Jack Grealish and other sidelined players: "I'm so sorry they doesn't get the minutes that maybe they deserve but at the end, the contributions from Jeremy [Doku] or Savinho have been massive this season. This is the only reason why. It's not personal, or I don't like Jack, or I don't have confidence in him."

• On whether Leyton Orient can cause trouble for City: "Yeah, of course. Always we've had problems away in this competition to teams in the Championship or League One or even League Two. Always we struggle. But we are ready for the challenge. Every game is a new opportunity."

• He is trying to balance the FA Cup tie with preparations for a Champions League play-off first leg against Real Madrid next Wednesday: "Of course I have an eye to Madrid but Leyton Orient deserve my attention; always it has been like that. Otherwise, we would not get the amount of semi-finals and finals of the FA Cup that we had in the past five or six years. Tomorrow, after the game, we will come back early to Manchester, and after that we have time to start to talk."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Watch live coverage of Leyton Orient v Man City on Saturday from 12:15 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City have included new signings Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez in their Champions League squad for the rest of the season.

Full-backs Kyle Walker and Josh Wilson-Esbrand have dropped out following loan moves to AC Milan and Stoke City respectively.

January signing Vitor Reis is not in the squad, with only three additions to the original 22-man list permitted before Thursday night's deadline.

Image source, Getty Images

Now that we know who has what in terms of transfers for the Premier League's run-in, I have tipped Liverpool to win the title, with Arsenal in second and Manchester City in third.

City have made some good January signings and injured players are starting to return now, so it looks more promising for Pep Guardiola's men.

And we all know how City have the capability of going on a run of games which apply pressure to the teams around them. They still have the status to do that despite having a rocky season.

They have a tricky period coming up now and it is off the back of a battering to Arsenal, but I think they have enough to turn results around and comfortably finish third.

I am not sure the likes of Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Newcastle will be able to do the same.

Manchester City have the know-how of picking up results when it really matters, alongside their standard and quality within their team.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for one thing nobody is talking about at Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Kahn: No-one is talking about Pep's inflexibility - his refusal to change styles and adapt. Omar Marmoush is shouting for the ball all the time while Erling Haaland has given up on runs behind the defensive line. If your players are ageing and can't press, maybe stop asking them to press. If they are caught on the counter with such regularity, maybe stop holding such a high defensive line, and employ a more balanced approach. The same team, even without January signings, would do better in the hands of a manager that plays to the strengths of players at his disposal.

Matt: I think no-one is talking about the obvious need for appropriate wing-backs in a 3-4-3 system. Lewis a hard-working gifted player but I fear his calling is not that role. Perhaps someone like Jeremie Frimpong is what we need.

Ian: No-one mentions that the reason we give goals away is the negative way we're playing. Always passing backwards. There is no service into the box, even with the best striker in the world in there.

Stewart: Watch out for Divine Mukasa - a very impressive under-18 attacking midfielder who has scored 13 goals and had 18 assists so far this season in all competitions.

Alex: Passing, passing and more passing. Overnight, that has gone. It's not the way to win now. Running with the ball and beating a player is the way to success - all done at a high pace and not defenders standing over the ball on the halfway line for minutes on end.

Simon: New left-back from New York City Christian McFarlane. Might he be integrated into the first team? The teamsheet on Saturday against Leyton Orient will provide a clue.