CUP AND SORCERER

Pep loves the magic of the FA Cup and vows to field strong teams, saying: We don’t drop ANY competitions

PEP PE GUARDIOLA will continue co to wheel out his big guns gu in the FA Cup after City put pu Birmingham to the sword. Two goals from Bernardo Silva an and a third from Phil Foden saw th them ease into the fourth round. And asked about his strong starting line-up, which also featured Kevin De Bruyne, Guardiola warned: “If you

follow the trajectory for our teams, we don’t drop one competition.

“That is why we are in finals four times in a row in the Carabao Cup and in the FA Cup we won two seasons ago.

“Every game we are going to try and win.”

Indeed, had he not been required to self-isolate, Guardiola would also have unleashed star striker Sergio Aguero.

The City hitman had been expected to start against Championship Birmingham on his way back from injury.

But Guardiola revealed that after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19, Aguero’s comeback will be delayed again.

“He was in contact more than usual with one person who is positive, so he isolates for a few days,” said Guardiola.

“He has been tested six times in 10 days and he is negative.

“It is a pity. It was a perfect day to get minutes, but unfortunately he has to be a few days out.”

Birmingham went three down in the first half and manager Aitor Karanka said: “We finished the game in the way we should have started it.

“We were not as aggressive as we should have been but, in the second half, everything changed.

“I wanted to play 90 minutes in the way we played the last 45.”

Guardiola also pointed out the impracticality of new Premier League guidelines instructing players not to hug each other when celebrating goals.

“When one guy scores a goal, I don’t know if they can be controlled,” he added. “If one guy scores a goal, in the joy to celebrate he is not going to think, ‘I cannot hug my mate for two or three seconds’.”