BY tomorrow night it will be just Jurgen Klopp's name left on the bucket list.

Out of the three he rates as the top managers in the world, only the boss of his beloved Liverpool now eludes Michael Flynn.

Having rubbed shoulders with Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino twice last season, the former Bantams skipper will soon share a touchline with Pep Guardiola as the FA Cup fairy-dust is once more sprinkled over Newport County.

“I’m like a kid at Christmas,” says Flynn as we speak minutes after Guardiola’s Man City swatted away Chelsea.

Flynn opted not to travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Instead he went to hospital to check in on Mansfield striker Danny Rose’s head injury from the previous day’s league game.

But he was back home in time for City’s six-shooters make Chelsea look like Chesterfield.

Given that Burton, from the division above Newport, shipped nine against Guardiola’s superstars in the Carabao Cup recently, is there a natural fear of the potential mathematical consequences for his own side?

Not in Flynn’s eyes – he is adamant the ground that houses one football and two rugby clubs will not be witnessing a cricket score.

“I watched it in awe because that’s football of the highest level. I can’t remember the last time Chelsea let in six so that’s a huge statement.

“Man City are a special team but it’s different when they are coming to our place. If it was at the Etihad, I would be very, very concerned – and that’s putting it politely.

“But we’ve beaten Leicester at Rodney Parade and drew with Spurs, who had Harry Kane and most of their big hitters. We’ve beaten Leeds and Middlesbrough, so we’re going to go for it.

“I’ll tell the players that this is a one-off. They may never ever play against Man City or one of Pep Guardiola’s teams again.

“We won’t sit back and hope for the best. It’s a free shot and we’re going to enjoy it.

“And I’m either going to be a genius or an absolute idiot after the game. I wouldn’t be the first to be made to look an idiot by Man City.

“But I’ll put my neck on the line and say that it won’t be a big score.

“If I was a foreign manager and said that, they’d think I was clever and the best coach in the world.

“But I’ll tell you now that I know what Rodney Parade is like, what our players are like and I’ve got faith in them.”

The playing surface is seen as the greatest leveller between two teams at the opposite end of the football spectrum. But Flynn feels the constant pitch is a bit of a myth.

He added: “We’ve had a brand new ‘Desso’ pitch put down and it isn’t that bad.

“Yes, there’s rugby teams on there and we’ve had a lot of rain recently. It’s heavy but usually the teams who moan about the pitch are the ones who’ve lost.

“We got beaten 6-0 at home by Yeovil this season. The pitch was brilliant and we were just poor.”

It is two years since Flynn first took the Newport hot-seat in a caretaker capacity with the sole aim of keeping them in the Football League. The trail of FA Cup scalps since then has earned him national acclaim.

“It’s crazy what’s happened,” he admitted. “I’ve always backed myself but you also need a bit of luck, some time and all those ingredients to go with you as well.

“I’ve always tried my best, sometimes it’s good sometimes not enough.

“When I played for Bradford, I think people will see that I gave my all. That’s all I ask of my players now.

“I feel like one of the luckiest managers in the Football League. There are some who don’t enjoy going in or do it just because they have to but I love every day.

“They are a great group of players to work with, a credit to themselves and the football club.”

Which brings us to the big question – would a Newport victory out-rank City’s comeback from two goals down to win at Chelsea in 2015 as the FA Cup’s greatest giant-killing in modern times?

“Absolutely 100 per cent,” says Flynn. “It’s the highest-ranked team against the lowest.

“Our transfer fees are £35,000 and there’s are £437 million. If we did win, it would be the biggest FA Cup shock ever.”