Hello and welcome to live coverage of Manchester City v Salford City in the FA Cup third round. Nobody of sound mind could accuse Pep Guardiola of turning his nose up at domestic cup competitions; he’s won 10 of them, 16 if you include the Community Shield and Supercopa de España. This season, however, he needs the FA Cup more than ever. City are out of the Carabao Cup and almost certainly out of the title race. They’re also 22nd in the Champions League, a sentence that is weird on all kinds of levels.

City will expect to reach the fourth round but their opponents might take some breaking down. This is surely the best team in Salford City’s short history. They are third in League Two and on a run of six straight wins without conceding a goal. The Class of 92’s involvement adds another narrative layer to tonight’s game. Gary Neville once gave Paul Scholes a big smacker when he scored an injury-time winner on this ground. The mind boggles at how they might celebrate if Salford pull of a shock tonight.

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