Four changes for City: Walker and Palmer start

Cole Palmer, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan and Zack Steffen all start for City against Swindon Town.

Making way from the team that began against Arsenal last weekend are Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Ederson and Aymeric Laporte.

With a number of senior players not fully fit, several EDS youngsters are named on the bench including Oscar Bobb and Kayky.

That said, it is still a very strong starting XI - proof of how highly City value the FA Cup.

There are unlikely to be any tactical tweaks against Swindon.

City will stick to a fluid. tried and trusted 4-3-3 system in a bid to reach the FA Cup 4th round.

Kevin De Bruyne, Cole Palmer or Bernardo could all play as a false nine this evening - if Gabriel Jesus is utilised on the wing - but it's likely the roles will be shared out throughout the 90 minutes.

ROBINS BETTER AWAY FROM NEST?

Swindon Town are riding high in League Two at present, but an improvement of form at home would certainly strengthen their promotion bid.

The Robins have won seven of their 11 games on the road and are the second best in League Two on their travels.

But at home, they are sixteenth in terms of results, with just three wins out of 11 matches played.

They will look to kickstart their County Ground form against City and take a similar feel-good factor that Cheltenham Town did after facing City in the FA Cup, on their way to promotion last season.
• This is the first meeting in any competition between Swindon and City since an FA Cup third round tie in January 2002, which City won 2-0 thanks to goals from Paulo Wanchope and Kevin Horlock.
• City have won 10 of the last 11 meetings with Swindon in all competitions (L1), with these matches taking place between 1988 and 2002.
• Swindon have lost each of their last six matches against City in all competitions (19 conceded), netting just one goal in the process in 1998.
• City have progressed from the last seven FA Cup ties against sides from the fourth tier or lower, last losing against Blackpool in January 1984.
• Bernardo Silva has been directly involved in nine goals in his last 10 starts in the FA Cup, scoring five and assisting four. The Portuguese has been on the winning side in 13 of his 14 appearances in the competition in total, losing only against League One Wigan in February 2018.
• We have won each of our last seven away games in the FA Cup (not including neutral venues) by an aggregate score of 18-5. It’s our longest such winning run in the competition’s history.
• City haven’t drawn any of our last 22 games in the FA Cup, winning 18 times in the process (L4). Last time out in the competition we lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the 2020-21 semi-final.
• No player has more FA Cup goal involvements for Pep Guardiola's City than Gabriel Jesus (9 goals, 4 assists) and Raheem Sterling (7 goals, 6 assists), who have 13 goal involvements each (level with Aguero).
• Swindon Town are looking to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2011-12 – their third round match that season was a 2-1 victory against Wigan Athletic, the last time they faced Premier League opposition in the competition.
• Swindon are hoping to win three consecutive FA Cup matches for the first time since January 2012.
• Swindon have lost five of their last six home games in the FA Cup, winning the other 2-1 vs York City in November 2018. However, in third round home games in the FA Cup, the Robins have lost just two of their last 18 (W11 D5).
• Swindon have won just three of their last 28 domestic matches against top-flight teams (W3 D8 L17), beating QPR in 1994 (in the Premier League), Wigan in 2012 (FA Cup) and Stoke in 2012 (League Cup). This will be their first such game since September 2013, losing at home to Chelsea in the League Cup.
• 19-year-old Tyreece Simpson has scored in both rounds one and two for Swindon in this season’s FA Cup – should he score in this match; he’ll be the first Swindon player to net in the first three rounds of a single edition of the FA Cup since Paul Batty and Jimmy Quinn both did so in 1983-84.