Monk believes in Sheff Wed and explains why they can cause City problems

Jo Harrison

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk has expressed the faith he has in his side, despite their terrible run of one win in nine in the Championship, and ahead of their FA Cup tie against Manchester City.

Wednesday have slid down the table in recent weeks, but Monk sees the cup tie as an escape and an opportunity to cause an upset.


“It’s away from the league, it won’t come any tougher, but we are looking forward to it,” said Monk.

“I have great belief our players will go out there and give it absolutely everything. They’re good enough to cause problems and compete, but what we don’t want to do is self-inflict.”

Wednesday overcame Premier League opposition in the third round, beating Brighton 1-0 at the Amex Stadium and they proceeded to the fifth round after a 2-1 win at Loftus Road against Championship rivals QPR in round four. Monk acknowledged the fact that Man City will present their toughest task yet.

“We’re going to play against the champions of England and we know the quality they have right throughout, one of the best sides in Europe with one of the best managers over the past 15 years.”

 

City picked up their third consecutive Carabao Cup trophy on Sunday, beating Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley. Pep Guardiola’s men are also the current holders of the FA Cup, having hammered Watford 6-0 in the final last season, a joint record scoreline for an FA Cup final.

Their route to the fifth round has been considerably more simple than Wednesday’s. They hammered League Two Port Vale 4-1 in round three before demolishing Championship high-flyers Fulham 4-0 in round, both at the Etihad Stadium.