Nigel Pearson sends message to Bristol City players as Man City win would be sensational

Nigel Pearson says it will be ‘sensational’ if Bristol City can cause a shock upset and knock European giants Manchester City out of the FA Cup on Tuesday night.

The Robins go into the tie on a 12-game unbeaten run stretching back to New Year's day and will get the chance to progress into the last eight of the historical competition in front of a sold-out Ashton Gate crowd.

Despite the Robins’ stellar form, it is fair to say that their opponents represent a significant step up in class compared to their usual competition. The Premier League outfit have won the topflight in four of the last five seasons and currently sit in second place in England’s top league.

The two clubs met at the semi-final stage of the EFL Cup five years ago, when a Pep Guardiola-led City ran out 5-3 winners on aggregate and went on to defeat Arsenal 3-0 in the final at Wembley.

When quizzed on the possibility of his resurgent Robins earning an unexpected victory against Guardiola’s men, Pearson said: “We’ll have to wait and see... It will be sensational if something like that happens of course. They are an outstanding team and squad of players with an elite manager who is up there with the very best.”

The Robins have been on a run of top performances, the energy and fight that Pearson’s players have shown over recent weeks has been admirable, and Saturday’s hard-fought win against Hull City is the ideal preparation for Tuesday.

Though their opponents are likely thinking about lifting the Premier League trophy yet again or getting their hands on a first-ever Champions League, the Manchester club are not taking the match lightly.

Following Guardiola’s sides win at Bournemouth on Saturday, the Spaniard spoke about their preparation for the midweek clash in the West Country, he said: “I’m thinking about Bristol now, it will be a tough game. My scout has told me already how seriously we have to take it.”

If Bristol City can pull off a mighty upset and win the match within 90 minutes, it will inflict just Man City’s sixth defeat in all competitions this season. Unlike the third and fourth rounds of the competition, there are no replays at this stage, therefore extra time and penalties will be used - if required.

Pearson recognized the level of the opponents that his side will be up against but insisted he is more interested in his youthful team showing what they can do with the eyes of the world watching.

“We’ll see what happens, I want us to be as good as we can be on the night. It’s really the main aim for us to perform as well as we can,” he said. “For some of our players who have earned the opportunity to play against such a good team, a chance for them to see how good they can be on the night.”

One of the players that Pearson was no doubt referring to is Alex Scott, the talented midfielder has been on the minds of several Premier League clubs of late, and the match may prove the ideal moment for the 19-year-old to heighten his reputation further against one of the world’s best.

Although there is no getting away from the magnitude of Man City coming to BS3, Pearson insisted that the underdogs will treat it as they would any other fixture, and try and express themselves.

When non-Premier League teams are drawn against one of the ‘big six’ in cup competitions, there is always a lot of talk about enjoying the experience and how good the tie is financially for the club - but without a win, the occasion often doesn’t live long in the memory. When asked how the Robins can defeat the Citizens, the manager replied: “We just need to play at our best. I don’t really think we’re going to end up playing any differently from how we always play.

“I would expect us to have long spells without the ball but that happens in quite a few games we play anyway. It’s just the way that we play and when you play against sides like Manchester City, they are one of the best sides in the world.

“There is no point worrying too much about that, we’ve just got to be as good as we can be. We’ve got to be the best version of ourselves. We’ll need to play very well.”