FRIDAY
CHORLEY V WOLVES
Chorley would love to cause another Cup upset in this one after beating 2013 winners Wigan in Round 1, League 1 Peterborough in Round 2 and Championship Derby in Round 3 even through Derby had to play their youngsters on the day. They'll be looking forward to this game more than they did the others because they'll be up against Premier League opposition and they will go out and enjoy the occasion like most non-league clubs do whenever they go up against a Premier League club. They'll go out there and enjoy the occasion whilst it lasts because they don't get to face Premier League opposition very often and the players may not get an opportunity like this between now and the end of their careers. They'll go into this game believing that they can cause an upset because of the damage they've caused already in this competition.
The FA Cup is the only chance Wolves have of having a successful season because it looks very unlikely that they'll qualify for the Europa League this season based on where they are in the Premier League and how many points they are behind the clubs in those spots. Nuno Espirito Santo will want a good performances from his side as well as a win because their recent performances in the league have been poor and a good performance in this one will hopefully give his side some confidence going into their next league game against Chelsea on Wednesday. They'll play a weakened team because they're up against lower league opposition but they'll play at least two or three of their regulars so they don't suffer an embarrassment in the cup. With nothing to play for in the league, Wolves should take take this competition seriously because they have a good enough team to far.
I think Wolves will win this one but not by a heavy score line because of the kind of pitch they'll be playing on. Non League pitches are very different to Premier League pitches and I think that will have an effect on their performance. They'll still get the win, but it won't be a comfortable one.
PREDICTION: 0-2
SATURDAY:
SOUTHAMPTON V ARSENAL
Southampton booked their place for this game in midweek by beating Shrewsbury 2-0 on Tuesday night. They could've won that game by more because Che Adams should've scored after the rounding the keeper. But he took too long and it allowed the defenders to get back into good positions to clear the ball away. Despite that, they still got the job done with goals from youngster Daniel N'Lundulu and captain James Ward Prowse which is what manager Ralph Hasenhuttl wanted. Southampton are a team who should have a good go at the FA Cup this season because they're doing well in the league and with a good squad of players and manager, they're definitely good enough to do well in this competition. They'll be up against a good side in Arsenal, but they'll go into that game believing that they can win it because that is the mentality in the team.
Arsenal carried on their revival with a good 3-0 win over Newcastle on Monday night whom they knocked out in the last round. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang looks like he's got his confidence back after scoring in the last round and scoring twice in the game on Monday. Having your talisman back among the goals is a good sign because he's been a key player for Arsenal ever since he arrived and it will give the team confidence knowing that they have someone who is going to score goals like Aubameyang is starting to do again. Thomas Partey made his comeback from injury in the Monday night game against Arsenal which is good news for manager Mikel Arteta because he hasn't played a lot since he's been at the club and he's going to be a key player for them once he's up and running in terms of his fitness.
I'm going for an Arsenal win because they're in good form and have a good record in this competition. With youngsters like Smith Rowe and Saka in form as well as Aubameyang back scoring goals again, theyt should have enough to win this game.
PREDICTION: 1-3
BRIGHTON V BLACKPOOL
Brighton picked up a huge result in their last game as they beat Leeds 1-0 after a poor run of results. They'll hopefully carry that result into this game in order to build confidence and go on a run of results to push themselves up the league. This will be a game that they'll want to win because they haven't won at home since their League Cup win over Portsmouth back in September which is a long time without a win at home. If they're to progress to the next round of this competition, they need to be clinical in front of goal because scoring goals has been a problem for them this season hence why they're near the bottom of the table in the Premier League. They took their chances against Leeds at they held on for the victory which they haven't done for much of this season. They'll need to that in this one in order to avoid a cup upset.
Blackpool will hoping to pull off another giant killing after beating West Brom in the last round on penalties. They were excellent throughout the contest as they took the lead twice and were arguably the better side on the day. They picked up a good result in their last game as they grabbed a 1-1 draw at 2nd placed Hull with the home side being reduced to 10 men. They're in a comfortable position in League 1 as they're 16th in the table and unlikely to be involved in a relegation battle with the club 7 points clear of the drop zone. They'll definitely fancy themselves here because they knocked out Premier League opposition in the last round and as they're up against another Premier League side, there is no reason why they couldn't do it again.
I'm going for a Brighton win because I think they'll have enough quality to win this game. Blackpool will make it close and put in some effort, but I think Brighton will run out winners and progress into the next round.
PREDICTION: 2-1
SHEFFIELD UNITED V PLYMOUTH
Sheffield United picked up their first win of the season in the last round with the win over Bristol Rovers which they followed up with their first league win of the season against Newcastle a few days later. The confidence didn't last long as they were brought back to reality with a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham where they never really turned up. The defending for the goals they conceded on that day were poor and their defending throughout the game was poor as Spurs went right at them and got the win themselves. A good run in the FA Cup is the only thing that can save their season because they look certain to be relegated and a good cup run will give the fans something to smile about during a tough season. This is game that Chris Wilder will want his side to win because their next two Premier League games are tough as they have to play Man United and Man City in those games.
Plymouth have scored quite a lot of goals this season but have also conceded a lot of goals with 39 which is the fifth most in the league. Ryan Lowe's men are 11th in League 1 and 6 points outside the play offs which is pretty good for a newly promoted side and if they can tighten up at the back, they stand a great chance of getting into the play offs themselves. With the amount of goals they've scored this season, they'll fancy their chances in this once because Sheffield United are struggling in the Premier League and the their top scorer in Luke Jephcott has 13 goals this season which is the second highest in League 1. With Sheffield United not at their best defensively this season, he'll fancy himself to score in this one because of the season he's having.
I'm going for a Plymouth win in this one because they've scored a lot of goals in League 1 this season and I can see them cause Sheffield United problems. Because of this I can see them cause an upset against the Premier League strugglers.
PREDICTION: 0-2
WEST HAM V DONCASTER
West Ham moved within two points of the Champions League places with their win over West Brom in midweek to continue the good season they're having. They should have a good go at this competition because they're doing well in the league and with the squad they have at their disposal, they have a good chance of going far which they haven't done in this competition for a good number of seasons. They have a tendency to be knocked out by lower league opposition like Wimbledon in this competition two seasons ago and Oxford in the League Cup last season. As they're up against another team from a lower league in this one, they will not want to suffer another cup exit to a lower league opposition because they may be labelled as a team who don't take cup competitions seriously. David Moyes will want his side to be at it this one because he'll want them to do well.
Doncaster are doing pretty well in League 1 this season as they're 4th in the table and three points off the top. They're the joint third highest goal scorers in the league this season despite not having a consistent goalscorer with top scorer Fejiri Okenabirhie scoring only six so far this season. That may cost them promotion this season but if they still finish in the play off places at the end of the season, it will still be labelled as a good season. This is because they finished 9th in League 1 last season and they have progressed this season by being in the play off places. Manager Darren Moore has done a good job since he's been at the Keepmoat Stadium and if his side can cause an upset in this one, it will give the the confidence to push for automatic promotion.
I think this one will be a West Ham win because they have a good squad and I can see the players coming into the team to put in a shift. Players like Andriy Yarmolenko will get given an opportunity and with the quality of player he is, I can see him put in a good performance and help West Ham progress to the 5th Round.
PREDICTION: 3-0
CHELTENHAM V MAN CITY
Cheltenham are massive underdogs in this one as they'll be up against one of the favourites for the competition itself. Michael Duff's men are 6th in League 2 and just two points outside the automatic promotion places behind 3rd placed Carlisle. The Robins are not in good form going into this one because they haven't won their last 7 matches and that has seen them drop out of the automatic places and into the play offs. They were one point off the top at the beginning of December after a 5-3 win over Exeter and since then they have drawn 5 and lost 2. The manager will want a good performance from his side in this one so they have something to build on going into their next game in League 2. It will be a tough ask as it is against Man City but if they're to improve in the league, Michael Duff will want a good performance out of his players in this one.
Man City left it late in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa in midweek where they had to grind out a result which is what the top teams tend to do. They've looked like title contenders in recent games and with the form they're in, I can see them being up there at the end of the season competing for the title. The only bad news for them is that they may have Kevin De Bruyne out for a few weeks which will be a big blow for them because he's their best player and they have no one like him in their team. Pep Guardiola may have rested him for this game anyway with it being a cup tie against lower league opposition but De Bruyne's presence on the pitch will still be a miss for City because he brings so much to the team. They still have players that can come in and do a job for the team, but they're not as good as Kevin De Bruyne is.
I'm going for a big City win in this one because they have a very strong squad which will be too much for Cheltenham. With the strength in depth that City have, I can see them win this game very comfortably because they're blessed with quality.
PREDICTION: 0-4
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURE:
ASTON VILLA V NEWCASTLE
Aston Villa defended pretty well against Man City until City scored the opening goal which should've been disallowed. They put in a good shift throughout the match as they defended well and had a few chances to score themselves. But they were let down by the officials as the two big decisions in the game went against them and led to Man City scoring their goals. Dean Smith will want a similar kind of performance in this one because he'll want his side to get their first win of 2021 and for them to do that he'll want a good performance out of his players against an underperforming Newcastle team. Villa's last home game was their Boxing Day win over Crystal Palace which was their first win at home since the beginning of October and they'll want to follow that up with a second successive win on home soil which they haven't managed since the beginning of the season. With the form Newcastle are in and the quality Villa have, they have a strong chance of winning back to back games at home.
The pressure is on Steve Bruce going into this one with Newcastle on a poor run of form. They haven't won in 10 games in all competitions and the performances in most of them haven't been good enough to earn results. I can now understand why Newcastle fans are unhappy because they want to see the team be more attacking and they believe that they won't get that under Steve Bruce. Allan Saint Maximin has been a miss for them because they've missed his pace which is key to how Newcastle play when they go on the counter attack. His absence could be the reason why they've not been playing well recently because the strikers are lacking support from the midfield players and that is something Saint Maximin provides when he's on the pitch. With the midfielders closer to their own goal than they are to the strikers, they're not ablse to fed the strikers the service they need and that is why Newcastle haven't been scoring goals recently.
I think this one will be a Villa win because of the form Newcastle are in. With the way Villa play and the players they have in attack, I can see them cause Newcastle many problems and win this game. Especially when you've got Jack Grealish and Olie Watkins in your side.
PREDICTION: 2-0
SUNDAY:
CHELSEA V LUTON
Chelsea's hopes of returning to the title race were dealt a huge blow as they were beaten 2-0 by Leicester in midweek to pile more pressure on manager Frank Lampard. The blues have won twice in six games in the league which is a big worry for Lampard and he'll want to address that soon if Chelsea are to finish in the top four at the end of the season. A lot of expected from Chelsea at the start of the season because of the amount of money they spent on players during the summer. They brought in a lot of players at the start of the season and some of them are still adjusting to life in the Premier League. Kai Havertz and Timo Werner are the ones I'm speaking about because they're both lacking confidence and they're both yet to deliver consistently for Chelsea after arriving for big money. Did they need to sign both of them? I didn't think they needed Havertz because they have other players in central midfield like Mount and Kovacic plus Loftus Cheek and Barkley who are both out on loan. They didn't really need Werner because they have two good strikers in Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham and those two have put in a decent enough shift whenever they've got their opportunity. Giroud in particular.
After avoiding relegation last season, Luton are in a comfortable position in the Championship as they lie in 13th place and unlikely to be involved in a relegation battle. Nathan Jones has done a decent job since returning to the club after a tough time at Stoke and he's got them into a good position. Luton have risen up the football pyramid pretty quickly since their return to the Football League in 2014 with back to back promotions in 2017-18 and 2018-19. They were established in League 2 for three seasons before they got promoted to League 1 where it took them just one season to get promoted to the Championship. They've established themselves in the Football League since they returned after five seasons in non league following three successive relegations between 2007 and 2009. With a god manager at the helm, could they push themselves into the Premier League one day.
I'm going for a Chelsea win in this one because they have a good squad and this is the perfect game for the under performing players to show why they deserve to be in the team. With the quality of players they have, they should have no problems in winning this game.
PREDICTION: 3-0
BRENTFORD V LEICESTER
After losing in the play off final last season to Fulham, Brentford having another shot at promotion the Bee's 3rd in the Championship and two points behind 2nd placed Swansea in the automatic promotion places. With the structure of the club and the way it operates, they'll hopefully be in the Premier League within the next few seasons because they have a long term plan and their recruitment is very good. They've lost key players over the last few years and have gone on to buy good enough replacements. They lost Ollie Watkins in the summer and brought in Ivan Toney from Peterborough as his replacement who has delivered with 16 goals making him the top scorer in the Championship. Brentford have given it a good go when they've faced Premier League team in cup competitions this season with a win against Newcastle in the League Cup and a not too bad display against Spurs despite losing to them in the same competition. If they can do the same in this one, they have a good chance of pulling off an upset.
Leicester are beginning to look like title contenders again after their 2-0 win over Chelsea on Tuesday night which briefly took them to the top of the Premier League. Much like Brentford, their recruitment is very good because they've lost the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell and have been able to bring in good enough replacements like James Maddison and Wesley Fofana. Those two have been excellent of late and this season. Fofana is only 20 years old and has been playing like an established defender ever since he arrived at Leicester. He's definitely got a big future ahead of him with the performances he's put in this season and I can see Leicester snapping him up on a permanent transfer as he's only on loan until the end of the season. Leicester would love to get him him on a permanent deal because if they don't, clubs like Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea could snap him up.
I'm going for a Leicester win in this one because they've got a bit more quality than Brentford. Brentford will make it close because they look like a side who could be in the Premier League, but I think Leicester will come out victorious.
PREDICTION: 1-3
FULHAM V BURNLEY
Fulham were in the game throughout their 2-1 defeat to Man United but didn't get anything from it. They had a host of chances towards the end of the game which shows the character they have but sadly they didn't take any of those chances. Scoring goals has been their problem for most of this season and that is why they're in the relegation zone. They've improved a lot defensively but going forward, they need to improve if they're to stay up. A win in this cup tie should hopefully give them the confidence to win games in the league because winning games in any competition can give a team confidence and a good run in the cup can do that as well. Scott Parker will hope his side can do that in order to stay in the Premier League this season.
Burnley picked up an unlikely result last night as beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield. It was a typical Burnley performance as they stayed defensively well drilled and organised throughout the entire match. They pushed themselves towards safety with that win by going 7 points clear of the drop zone and with the manager and players they have, they should be safe for another season. Sean Dyche will still want some new players between now and the end of the transfer window because they're the joint lowest scorers in the league and he'll want to secure safety sooner rather than later into the season. If the new owners give him the money to spend, it will hopefully happen because Dyche will want to see his side improve between now and the end of the season. For it to happen, he needs new players to help his side make it happen.
I'm going for a Fulham win here because I can see them come away with the victory. I think it will be a close game and I think Fulham will it and after extra time.
PREDICTION: 2-1
MAN UNITED V LIVERPOOL
A week after both sides played out a drab 0-0 draw in the Premier League, they go at it again in the FA Cup.
United showed title winning spirit by once again coming from behind away from home to beat Fulham which is what sides competing for the title usually do. Paul Pogba is in good form going into this one with two goals in his last three games including a brilliant strike from outside the box against Fulham. His performance in that game was what we want to see more often from him because we haven't it enough from him on a consistent basis since he's been back at United. He's definitely got the ability to be a top quality player, he just needs to show it on a regular basis to put himself up there with the best players in the world. With United playing well and with good players like Fernandes around him, he's looking more like the Pogba we expected when he arrived for that big price tag from Juventus. If he carries on like this, United have a strong chance of being up there at the end of the season.
Liverpool have lost their sparkle at the minute as they're not scoring goals and not playing at the same intensity they usually play at. The front three are out of form which rarely happens and the full backs who are key to the way Liverpool play aren't being as effective as they usually are. I'm amazed that Jurgen Klopp has not brought anyone in January because when the transfer window opened, I thought he would go out and buy a centre back straight away because of the lack of options he has in that position with Gomez and Van Dijk injured for the longer term and Matip picking up the odd injury there and then. They could even do with another striker because Divock Origi who played in place of Firmino last night didn't take his opportunity. He may be a cult hero because of what he did in the Champions League two seasons ago, but since then he hasn't proved himself to be a capable back up.
I think this one will be a United win because they're looking more confident than Liverpool at the moment. The whole team is in good form and with the quality they have in forward areas, they'll have enough to win this game.
PREDICTION: 2-0
EVERTON V SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Everton were pushed all the way by Rotherham in the last round as they won it 2-1 in extra time. I thought they would win that game more comfortably than they did because I thought they would have too much for Rotherham. They got the win in the end and are in the 4th Round hoping to go far in this competition. They'll be happy to have Dominic Calvert Lewin back after missing their 2-1 win over Wolves over a week ago due to thigh injury. They didn't appear to miss him in that game as they won but it's good that he's back for them because he's their top goal scorer and he's key to their chances of a successful season. I can see Everton play a strong team in this one because Carlo Ancelotti will without a doubt take this competition seriously because he's come to Everton to win trophies and for him to do that, he should play a strong team in the cup games.
Sheffield Wednesday are struggling in the Championship this season but have shown signs of improvement since Tony Pulis left. I was very surprised that he was sacked because I thought he would be the man to keep Sheffield Wednesday in the league considering his record of never been relegated as a manager. But the owners did not think so and they decided to sack him not long after sacking Garry Monk. Wednesday were a club with ambition to get back to the Premier League a few seasons ago and that ambition has clearly gone by seeing where they finished in the last three seasons. The managerial appointments since Carlos Carvalhal haven't worked for whatever reason and that has lead to fans criticizing the ownership of the club since the sacking of Tony Pulis.
I think one will be an Everton win because the quality they have in their team will be too strong for Sheffield Wednesday. They have Dominic Calvert Lewin back from injury and I can see him score one or two in this cup tie to win it for Everton.
PREDICTION: 3-0
MONDAY:
WYCOMBE V TOTTENHAM
Wycombe gave Spurs a good game the last time they met in the FA Cup back in 2017 as they lost 4-3 at White Hart Lane. Gareth Ainsworth will hope his side can do a similar thing again on Monday night as they look to cause a big upset. Gareth Ainsworth has done a remarkable job since he's been at Wycombe from keeping them in the Football League in 2014 to getting them promoted to the Championship last season. He's been on an incredible journey with them since he became their manager in 2012 and to get a club the size of Wycombe into the Championship is an incredible achievement itself because no one saw it coming and we never get clubs of that size in the second tier. They may be bottom of the Championship at the moment, but Ainsworth has still done an incredible job at Adams Park.
Spurs got the job done in the last round by beating non league Marine 5-0 to book their place in the next round. They're have to be one of the favourites for the cup because they have a manager whose won it before and a good group of players who deserve to win something. They haven't won a major trophy since the League Cup in 2008 and with Jose Mourinho in charge, they have a good chance of winning something because he's won trophies wherever he's been. We know they're in the Carabao Cup final but if they could have a good shot at the FA Cup and Europa League, they could have a treble in the bag if they were to pull it off. You shouldn't rule them out of a title challenge in the league but in the cup competitions, they have a chance of winning all three if they can get it right and avoid being Spursy.
I'm going for a Spurs win because they have more quality than Wycombe. With players like Gareth Bale, Dele Alli and Carlos Vinicius likely to get a chance to impress the manager, Spurs will have no problems in winning this game because they're all good players on their day.
PREDICTION: 0-3
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