Manchester City vs Hull City

He gives us possession of the ball, which is a style of play that we like to play and he connects well with De Bruyne, and our other technical players. “We were very solid and we didn’t allow chances for Hull to score”.

The only previous League Cup tie between the two sides came in October 1963, as Manchester City ran out 3-0 winners in round three.

Manchester City playmaker David Silva could make his first start in almost two months in the League Cup quarter-final against Hull. It was also important for Wilfried Bony to play after a muscle injury, because he worked for just a few days before he played on Saturday and now he could play 65 minutes.

Notably, star striker Sergio Aguero picked up a foot injury in their routine win over Southampton at the weekend and looks set to be out of action for at least a week.

De Bruyne’s brace arrived late on, the Belgium forward exploiting a defensive mistake to prod home in the 82nd minute and then sweeping a free-kick into the top-left corner three minutes from time. Meanwhile, Everton continue to impress as they eased past Middlesbrough.

With Hull camped deep inside their own half, De Bruyne took advantage of the space in front of the back four and hammered a shot from 22 yards that came back off the post.

“We’re going to play against one of the biggest clubs in Europe against great players and if you’re a player or manager or coach, you always want to pit your wits against the best”.

David Silva was welcomed back with a 15-minute cameo appearance against Southampton, and he’s expected to feature at some stage against the Championship outfit – whether that’s from the substitutes’ bench, remains to be seen.

The Poteers reached the League Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1972 after avoiding a slip-up against Sheffield Wednesday.

The 5,000 fans who made their way from Humberside hoping Hull could take another cup scalp must have been disappointed to see a teamsheet with seven changes from the side who started Friday’s 2-0 defeat by Derby. There were some nervier moments earlier on but it was generally a good response by the Argentinian to his critics after a poor display in September’s 4-1 loss at Tottenham. We got to an FA Cup final and I’ve said all along that you take them seriously and I do but when we’re a Championship side there’s no big gulf in the squad I choose from.