WITH the lowest-ranked team left in this season’s FA Cup taking on the highest-ranked side at Rodney Parade this evening, comparing the two squads wouldn’t exactly be fair on the former.

One Twitter post claimed the combined transfer fees of Newport County and Manchester City starting XIs on the first weekend of February as £50,000 and £470m respectively.

From a financial point of view, the clubs couldn’t be further apart, with City able to pretty much buy any player on the planet, Lionel Messi included. But, for now, City have more than enough quality to potentially win four trophies this term, including the FA Cup, though they must get past County in the fifth round first!

Only when match referee Andre Marriner receives the City teamsheet before the game will anyone know just what sort of side Guardiola has decided to pick.

And even if the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne are rested and don’t get to sample the special atmosphere under the lights at Rodney Parade, you can be assured that the Exiles will still come face-to-face with plenty of international-class stars.

City aren’t where they are atop the Premier League for no reason, they’ve played football that even the fans of the opponents they have been destroying can’t help but applaud.

Their ability to breakdown a seemingly impenetrable defence with patient passing and deadly finishing speaks volumes for the style Guardiola has instilled in his men, as well as those at Barca and another of his former clubs in Bayern Munich.

Of course, they still require a strong backline, and Vincent Kompany has been marshalling the defence for some time. That said, his is not a bad position to be in when you’ve got Aguero, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus banging goals in for fun at the other end.

But time and time again, Belgian Kompany has demonstrated his uncanny ability to read the game and lead his troops around him, some of who love to get forward themselves.

Alongside Kompany is Kyle Walker, a man who knows all too well what it’s like to play at grounds lower down the Football League pyramid following a spell with Northampton in his younger days.

Fellow Englishman John Stones also has a grounding in lower league football having started his career at hometown club Barnsley.

Complementing that trio are Brazilian Danilo, Frenchman Aymeric Laporte and Argentinean Nicolas Otamendi.

That’s not to say County won’t get in their faces and make life difficult for them, and in Padraig Amond the hosts have a striker who has scored in every round of the cup this season.

Disrupting City’s world-class passing game will be key if Michael Flynn’s side is going to cause the mother of all upsets.

If Silva and De Bruyne don’t feature, Guardiola is likely to go with a midfield containing Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho.

Joss Labadie starred for County against Spurs last year and Robbie Willmott has won rave reviews for his cup performances against Leicester City and Middlesbrough. They, like the rest of the home side, will need to be at the very top of their game if a shock is to happen.

City have scored 15 goals more than anyone else in the Premier League and you can count on tonight’s encounter being arguably the toughest 90 minutes the Exiles players have faced.

Aguero, Sane, Jesus, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling are a powerhouse of an attack – it could well be a long night for keeper Joe Day and his back four.