Rusk’s side recorded a 1-0 victory over City in this season’s reverse fixture at the Academy Stadium, but pointed to City's quality on the ball as one of their key strengths.
He said, “It will be a tough game as you always know what you’re going to get from Man City, who are a technically gifted team with individuals that can hurt you.
“We’ll have to be close to our best if we want a positive outcome on the night. It’s about making sure we do the things we want to do in the game and see where that gets us.
“We have had some good results against City in the past, but we don’t take that for granted and are very respectful of the threat they have in their team.”
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The under-23s have secured three wins in their last four league games which has propelled them up to fourth in the table, an achievement that has become more impressive with several members of Rusk's squad either injured or plying their trade out on loan.
“We take it one game at a time and try to perform as well as we can in every game," he said. "This season, the by-product of that has been a fairly healthy position in the league table which should give the boys some confidence.
“We’re light in terms of not having many under-23s players to work with, and are only working with seven or eight players because we have a few injuries and a number of players are out on loan.
“That gives an opportunity for a number of under-18 players to step up, and there is stiff competition between them as a group.
“They’ve now got to take those chances, whether that be in training or in games.”