Neil: Bring On The Big Shots!

NEIL Etheridge has faced many international players during his career, but attempting to thwart a star-studded Manchester City promises to be one of the toughest tests of his career.

- Charlie Peat

The 27-year-old stopper is likely to be a busy man between the sticks as Cardiff entertain the Premier League’s top dogs in the Emirates FA Cup fourth round this afternoon (kick-off 4pm).

The Bluebirds have one of the meanest defences in the Championship this season, conceding just 25 goals, but with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne descending on the Welsh capital, Etheridge knows it’s time to batten down the hatches.

“I’m going to be busy,” he said. “They’ve scored the most amount of goals in the country, but we have a very strong defensive unit at Cardiff and, hopefully, that’s no different against City.

“We haven’t conceded too many goals this season, but we will be trying to play as much football as we can. We’ll try and shut up shop, which won’t be easy, but we’re confident we can do it.

“Not many teams have found it easy against City this season. There’s no doubting how good they are and how tough it will be.