Man City boss wary of the Owls threat

Manchester City take a break from their revitalised title challenge to begin their latest FA Cup quest against Sheffield Wednesday today.

It is the second time City have faced the Owls this season, having thrashed them 7-0 in the Capital One Cup in September. But manager Manuel Pellegrini is taking nothing for granted.

The Chilean said: “It has been a difficult moment because we played three games in a week, very important games in the Premier League.

“We had to play for nine points in one week, but we have finished that and now we must think about Sheffield Wednesday.

“For our team, it is a very important Cup. Last year we were eliminated here against Wigan but we won the Capital One Cup.

“This year we are eliminated from the Capital One, so we will try to continue in the FA Cup as far as we can.”

City were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Newcastle in October amid a poor spell that saw them win just once in six games.

That brought scrutiny of Pellegrini and his methods, but doubts appear to have been swept away by City’s form since the November international break.

Pellegrini said: “For different reasons, we had a low performance for around two weeks.

“We were not playing so bad in that moment, but we made important mistakes and when you make mistakes the score is not what you want.

“After that, we arranged again the way we were playing. Important players returned to their normal performance.”

Pellegrini has hinted that second-choice keeper Willy Caballero is likely to remain in the side after England number one Joe Hart was rested against Sunderland on New Year’s Day.

He said: “It’s important when you play so many games to have rotation. I did the same in the Capital One for Willy Caballero. I think it’s good for Willy, good for Joe and good for the team.”