Manchester City v Hull City: We’ll enjoy the challenge, says Steve Bruce

The Tigers, through to the quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history, are one of three White Rose sides bidding to make the last four.

Sheffield Wednesday travel to Stoke City as Middlesbrough host Everton, and Tigers manager Bruce believes the exploits of those two clubs in previous rounds, plus how Hull have already knocked out Leicester City and Swansea City this term, suggests an upset at the Etihad cannot be ruled out.

“Once you get to a quarter-final,” said Bruce, “anything can happen. You would never have thought Middlesbrough would go to Manchester United and beat them. And you wouldn’t have thought Sheffield Wednesday would turn over Arsenal 3-0.

“But these things happen in the cups in our country. We have got to believe we can go there and cause an upset.

“We are taking 5,000 fans and when was the last time that happened? It was probably at Wembley (for the 2014 FA Cup final).

“If we can play to our maximum and they have one of their rare off-days, you never know. We have to enjoy the challenge of it, to enjoy playing in a quarter-final again.”

It is 25 years since Yorkshire last boasted two semi-finalists in the League Cup, eventual winners Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United doing the honours in 1990-91.

A repeat is, by no means, unthinkable considering how up and down the form of Stoke and Everton has been in recent weeks.

Owls’ head coach Carlos Carvalhal, who once took a third division team to the Portuguese Cup final in his native country, is hoping his side can repeat the form that has already accounted for the Gunners and Newcastle United in the League Cup this term.

“We respect Stoke, but we have a small chance,” said the Portuguese, who took Besiktas to the Britannia in 2011 for a Europa League tie, which the Turkish club lost 2-1.

“(A) ten per cent (chance of winning) against Arsenal was realistic. I don’t like to talk about numbers, but Stoke have the most percentage (chance) to win and if I said the opposite then no one would believe me.

“If I said we were the favourites, then everyone will say, ‘This guy is crazy’. But I am not crazy.

“I am realistic and keep my feet on the floor. I know they are better than us and have better players. They are at home, but that doesn’t mean we won’t fight – and because they are better, we must fight more.

“Our fans have a big part to play. I remember taking my Beskitas side to Stoke and they brought 3-4,000 fans. The players, when they went to warm up, felt extra energy.

“It will be cold and rainy. It probably won’t be a good day for football, but if you have a lot of fans it can help you.”

Of the Yorkshire trio in Cup action tonight, Hull face the toughest task.

Even allowing for how Bruce’s men came within 60 seconds of winning at the Etihad last February, Manuel Pellegrini’s men are expected to progress in a competition the club last won in 2014.

“If we are being brutally honest,” added the Tigers’ chief, “we could have hoped for an easier one. They are an outstanding squad of players.

“He (Pellegrini) plays his strongest team all the time. They don’t blood five or six youngsters.

“Their mentality is that they are in four competitions and they want to win all four.

“We are up against it, but welcome back to the big time again. We have played really well at Manchester City in the last couple of years. We were a minute away from winning last season, weren’t we? Let’s hope we can go and enjoy ourselves and have a good crack at them. Why not?”

Robert Snodgrass, an unused substitute in last Friday’s defeat to Derby County, could start for the first time since the opening day of the 2014-15 season as Bruce again plans to ring the changes in the cup.

Eldin Jakupovic, Hull’s penalty shoot-out hero in the last round against Leicester, will be in goal, while Ryan Taylor and Isaac Hayden are also expected to be given rare starts.

“If you are a Premier League team or a top-end Championship,” said Bruce, “then if you get the luck of the draw or the bounce of a ball, you have got a chance of getting to a cup final or a semi-final.

“If you asked most supporters here what their stand-out moments will be, I am sure a lot would say the trips to Wembley because they had never experienced it before.

“After losing to Derby, I would love a free week to prepare for the Leeds game on Saturday. But we are in the quarter-finals of a cup.

“(One-time Manchester United assistant) Archie Knox used to say this was the time you could start smelling the (Wembley) hot dogs. It is a strange saying, but a true one.”