"In trouble" - Pep Guardiola issues Plymouth Argyle warning to his Man City team | OneFootball

The City boss is wary of the threat that the Pilgrims will bring in their FA Cup encounter this weekend

Pep Guardiola has warned that his Manchester City need to be prepared for the threats that Plymouth Argyle will bring in their FA Cup fifth round clash this Saturday.

Miron Muslic brings his side to the Etihad having beaten Premier League opposition in each of the last two rounds, with 1-0 wins over Brentford and Liverpool seeing them reach the last 16 of the competition for the first time in 18 years.

While the Pilgrims find themselves in the bottom three of the Championship as they head to the current top-flight champions, they will be sure to give a good account for themselves and aim for a third cup upset of the season.

With their aggressive and direct approach under their new Austrian boss, Guardiola is under no illusions about the task at hand this weekend, with his side needing to progress to maintain their only realistic chance of winning silverware this season.

Pep Guardiola warns of Plymouth Argyle threat ahead of FA Cup clash

The City boss was keen to highlight the threat that Argyle will pose when the two teams go head-to-head this weekend, with City having got to this stage by defeating Salford City and Leyton Orient in the last two rounds.

Muslic’s arrival at the club has seen the intensity ramped up since Wayne Rooney’s departure, with a more direct, long-ball game being employed, and Guardiola knows his side will have to be on top of their game to keep the Greens at bay.

When asked if Argyle were unknown to him at his Friday press conference, the boss said, via Manchester City's official website: “No, they are not unknown. When you can beat the best team in the country this season Liverpool - and also Brentford - they are not unknown.

“And not just Liverpool. I saw [some of their] other games. They defend aggressively with their wing-backs. The transition they do with attacking midfielders inside, who link really well.

“With the strikers in Championship, the set pieces are the main thing, and the Premier League teams learn from this. The amount of free-kicks and corners they produce are not like the Premier League. They are solid. Since the manager took over, the results are there.

“We are expecting a difficult game. We play at home, and that is an advantage, the Orient game was so tough. We played many times in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup against lower league teams and always they are tricky.

“What these teams do, they do really well. And if you are not ready you are in trouble. We have a chance to arrive in the last eight of the FA Cup again and we want to do it.”

Orient gave his side a run for their money in the last round, with Jamie Donley’s 45-yard effort being knocked over the line by Stefan Ortega to to give the hosts the advantage, before goals from Abdukodir Khusanov and Kevin De Bruyne turned the game around in the Premier League side’s favour.

Argyle overcame Brentford in round three to claim a first away win of the season before standing firm against Arne Slot’s Liverpool side at Home Park earlier this month, with Ryan Hardie’s penalty the difference against the Reds.

Pep Guardiola reacts to Miron Muslic comments ahead of Plymouth Argyle encounter

Muslic has sung the praises of his opposite number ahead of this weekend’s clash, with the Argyle boss claiming that the chance to manage in the opposite dugout to the Spaniard is "the biggest honour of my life".

The Austrian couldn’t speak higher of the City boss, calling him a ‘giant as a coach’ during his press conference ahead of the Premier League vs Championship showdown, as well as ‘one of the most successful coaches in sports history’.

With those comments fresh in his mind, Guardiola was keen to offer his hospitality to the Argyle boss when all is said and done on Saturday night, saying: “I have an incredible bottle of wine after the game for his words. I appreciate it, thank you very much.”