TUESDAY:
BURNLEY V BOURNEMOUTH
Burnley picked up a good point in their draw with Brighton on Saturday which moved them 8 points from safety. It was a good point because it keeps them a good distance from the relegation zone and it is also a huge step towards safety. They were a better side in the second half against Brighton because they were more on the front foot and created more chances than they did in the first half. They did miss a lot of chances like they have done all season but they still managed to get a vital point from the game through Johann Berg Gudmundsson. With Premier League all but secured, the clarets may may fancy themselves to have a good crack at the FA Cup because they've got a good squad of players and have a winnable tie in this fixture. Sean Dyche has said that he will make changes for this game with it being a cup tie, but I'm still expecting Burnley to field a good enough side.
Bournemouth recently sacked manager Jason Tindall after a drop off in form since Christmas. I was surprised with that decision because I felt he could've had more time with it being his first season as a manager. It was always going to be tough replacing a great in Eddie Howe after so many years at the club plus they lost three key players in Nathan Ake, Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson after their relegation from the Premier League last season. The cherries are still in a good enough position in the Championship as they currently lie in 6th place within the play offs and if you're in the play off places, you still have a good chance of getting promoted which is another reason why they should've given Jason Tindall more time. They ended their recent slump at the weekend by beating Birmingham 3-2 and caretaker manager Jonathan Woodgate will be hoping that his side carry that into this game if they're to stand a chance of causing an upset.
I'm going for a Burnley win in this one because Bournemouth are without a permanent manager and have a poor record at Turf Moor. Burnley may make some changes for this one, but they'll still have enough to win the game.
PREDICTION: 2-1
MAN UNITED V WEST HAM
Man United's potential title challenge took another dent as they threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Everton on Saturday. If there is one area that United need to strengthen in order to challenge for the title is their defence. This is because they're still shaky at the back and the goals they conceded against Everton were poorly conceded with no one picking up Dominic Calvert Lewin for the late equaliser and James Rodriguez not being closed down when taking his shot for the first equaliser. They're good going forward, but they need to improve defensively if they're to challenge for the title next season. The FA Cup is probably their best chance of winning a trophy this season because it looks like rivals City will run away with the title and they have a tough tie in the Europa League against Real Sociedad. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are to win a trophy this season, the FA Cup is their best bet.
West Ham will be delighted that Tomas Soucek's red card against Fulham was overturned because he is an important player for them and the decision itself was one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. There was not enough contact for it to be a red card and David Moyes will be happy that he'll have him available for this cup tie. The Hammers you could say picked up a good point against Fulham at the weekend because they're having a good season and are still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe. They could do that winning the FA Cup but they need to win this tie first if they're to go all the way in this competition. They have a good enough squad to go all the way plus David Moyes beat Man United in this competition when he was Everton manager back in 2009 in the Semi finals via a penalty shootout. He would love a repeat of that with West Ham.
I'm going for a Man United win because they have good squad players who are capable of stepping up. Both sides will make changes and I think the United squad players coming in like Daniel James and Donny Van De Beek will make a difference for them on the pitch.
PREDICTION: 2-0
WEDNESDAY:
SWANSEA V MAN CITY
Swansea have rediscovered their identity over the last few seasons and have a good chance of getting promoted this season with the club 3rd in the Championship and two points behind top of the table Norwich. They had a tough time during their finals few seasons in the Premier League as they appeared to move away from their identity which they paid the price for as they were relegated from the top flight in 2018. Steve Cooper who won the U17 World Cup with England back in 2017 has done a great job since he's been at the Liberty Stadium and has been a key part of them getting their identity back. Graham Potter steadied the ship during the 2018-19 season as they secured a comfortable mid-table finish but Steve Cooper has made them promotion chasers ever since he walked through the door. We could find out if they're ready for the Premier League in this one as they're up against a top Premier League side in Man City.
Man City look nailed on to win the Premier League as they're currently five points clear at the top ahead of rivals Man United in second place. They could possibly win the quadruple this season because they're already in the Carabao Cup final, they're one of the favourites for the FA Cup and they also have a good chance of winning the Champions League if they can get it right in the latter stages. They may have completed most of the season without a striker and currently have two of their best players out injured, but they still have a good chance of winning at least the treble because of the squad they have. Ilkay Gundogan is in the form of his life, Phil Foden is impressing in every game he plays and Raheem Sterling is now coming into form after a slow start to the season by his standards. With the squad Pep has at his disposal, City have a chance of winning at least the treble or even the quadruple.
I'm going for a City win this one because they have more quality than the Swans. They have a strong squad and I can see them win this game comfortably because of it.
PREDICTION: 1-3
LEICESTER V BRIGHTON
Leicester could have a good go at the FA Cup this season because they've got a good squad, a good manager and they're having a good season in the league. They reached the Quarter finals last season and I can see them go beyond that stage this season because they have more than enough to win this tie and they have the ability to beat anyone on their day which they have proved in the Premier League. They have a good enough squad to go far in this competition and they have a manager in Brendan Rodgers who has experience of winning cup competitions when he was at Celtic. He may have been managing in a league that wasn't as tough as the Premier League, but winning a cup competition is any country is still a great achievement. He'll be looking to win something for the Foxes this season because of the team he has built and the potential of his team overall.
Brighton's recent form has pulled them away from trouble with 3 wins from their last 5 games which has left them 10 points above the drop zone. They picked up a valuable point at the weekend with their draw at Burnley and that point is a step in the right direction because they increased the gap between themselves and the bottom three and because of that they should be safe due to the form they're in. The FA Cup has given them the confidence to get results in the league with wins over Newport and Blackpool in the previous two rounds and they'll be hoping to use the confidence they've gained in the league to progress to the next round of the FA Cup. They beat Spurs and Liverpool in the league recently and because of that they'll believe that they can beat Leicester because of the form they're currently in.
I'm going for a Leicester win because I can see them have a good crack at the cup this season. They have a good enough squad to go far and they'll definitely have enough in them to win this tie without any problems.
PREDICTION: 2-0
SHEFFIELD UNITED V BRISTOL CITY
The FA Cup is the only thing that Sheffield United have left with relegation almost certain to happen come the end of the season. The cup itself has given the Blades some hope and confidence because they've won every game they've played after an FA Cup tie. They beat Newcastle in the league after beating Bristol Rovers in the 3rd Round and they beat Man United in the league after beating Plymouth in the 4th Round. They have more belief in themselves than they did before they entered the FA Cup and it has been a good distraction for them so far because it has given them the confidence to win games in the league. Chris Wilder is making sure that his team are going down with a fight by putting in better performances than they were earlier in the season and they've got results from those performances. A win in this cup tie could give them another confidence boost like the other two cup wins did last month.
Bristol City are having a fairly decent season in the Championship as they currently lie in 10th place and six points outside the play off places. Their form hasn't been great recently as they've lost their last three games in the league and have won just twice since new year. Dean Holden has done a decent enough job since he arrived in the summer replacing Lee Johnson, but their form must improve if they're to keep up in the race for a play off place. They've been a team who have been in and around the play off places over the last few seasons but haven't had enough in them to finish there themselves due to their consistency. The club and manager will want the team to push for the play offs in order to show that progression has been made because the Robins have finished in the top half in the last three seasons and in order to finish in the play offs, they need to be more consistent and that has been the reason why they haven't finished in the play offs.
I'm going for a Sheffield United win because Bristol City are not in great form. The Blades themselves have used this competition to help them improve in the league and I can see them do it again by winning this tie without any serious problems.
PREDICTION: 1-0
EVERTON V TOTTENHAM
A cup tie between two of the most successful managers we've seen over the last decade or so in Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho.
Everton showed good character to come from behind twice to grab a 3-3 draw at Man United at the weekend which kept them within touching distance of the top six and the top four. Dominic Calvert Lewin is back among the goals after scoring in this last two games against Leeds and Man United plus he scored in the last round of this competition against Sheffield Wednesday. His recent form will give him confidence going into this game because goals give a player confidence to score in the next one and the ones after that. Everton will be looking to go far in this competition because of the manager they have and the squad of players the club have at their disposal. Carlo Ancelotti won the FA Cup when he was at Chelsea back in 2010 and will hoping to win it again so he can bring some silverware back to Goodison Park. He was brought in to win trophies as well at get them into the Champions League and the Toffees will be hoping he can do that starting off by winning the FA Cup.
Spurs put in a much better performance at the weekend during their 2-0 win over West Brom and having Harry Kane back made a huge difference. They were more on the front foot and they moved the ball quicker and having Harry Kane back played a huge part in that. He linked up with his fellow teammates by dropping deep and picking them out and he lead the line like a centre forward. Spurs did not have a player who did both during his absence which is why they struggled but with Kane back in the side, they look a better team because of what he brings. Heung Min Son looked more like himself at the weekend because Kane was back and he struggled without his strike partner whilst he was out injured because he hasn't had the service to score goals which is Kane brings when he's in the team. If Spurs can keep them both fit, they have a chance of ending the season reasonably strong.
I'm going for an Everton win in this one because I have a feeling that they're going to win this one. They may be without James Rodriguez for this one, but they have players who can step up and do a job for the team like Gylfi Sigurdsson. As I can see them have a good go at the cup this season, I think they'll win this game.
PREDICTION: 2-0
THURSDAY:
WOLVES V SOUTHAMPTON
Wolves will want to have another good crack at the FA Cup this season with their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League pretty much over as they're 10 points off the European places in 14th. They put in a good defensive display in their goalless draw with Leicester at the weekend but at the other end they failed to convert their chances. They only had 1 shot on target against Leicester in Sunday which shows how much they've missed Raul Jimenez because he's a striker who usually finds the target when he's on the pitch. New signing Willian Jose didn't get much service on Sunday and Nuno will want to get firing soon because Wolves have found goals hard to come by this season. They'll be hoping that a win in this cup tie will give the players and especially the strikers some confidence to carry into the league in order to move up the table and score more goals.
This FA Cup tie could be what Southampton need because their form at the moment is terrible with defeats in their last five games and just one win in ten games. A good result in the cup can give a team some much needed confidence and especially when they're in the kind of form Southampton are in. Ralph Hasenhuttl will be hoping that his side can win this game to kick start their season after a poor run of results which has seen his side drop down to 12th having been within the European places not that long ago. They have had a lot of injuries to key players and that has played a part because they haven't been the same team whilst those individuals have been out. Jannick Vestergaard is an example of someone they've missed because the Saints haven't been as solid defensively whilst he's been out and he brings some solidity to their defence because of his height and reading of the game. With him now back, the Saints will be hoping to tighten up at the back.
I'm going for a Wolves win in this one because I have a feeling that they will win this one. They're not in the best of form in the league, but I can still see them use the cup to kick-start their season starting with this one.
PREDICTION: 2-1
BARNSLEY V CHELSEA
Barnsley are having a comfortable season in the Championship this season as they currently lie in 12th place which is a big improvement on last season. They were in a relegation battle last season and it looked like they would be heading straight back down to League 1. Their fortunes changed after lockdown as they tightened up at the back and that played a huge part in them staying up. Valerian Ismael has done a good job since he came to Oakwell because he's got them into the top half of the table and has kept them out a relegation battle. Barnsley were probably expecting to be in a relegation battle at the start of the season having just stayed up at the end of last season thanks to Wigan's points deduction as a result of their administration. They'll be happy where they are at the moment because they're unlikely to be sucked into a relegation battle and they're not thinking about finishing in the play offs so they'll happily settle for a place in mid-table which would be a good season for them considering where they were this time last season.
Chelsea beat Barnsley when they met in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season wining the match 6-0 with Kai Havertz scoring a hat trick which now looks like a very long time ago. Havertz has struggled to deliver since that result and now he can't get into the team having cost a lot of money in the summer. Thomas Tuchel may give him an opportunity in this one so Havertz can show what he can do on the pitch and put himself in the plans of the manager. The current form of Mason Mount is keeping out of the side and after not playing in Tuchel's first game, Mount is now one of the first names on the team sheet like he was under Frank Lampard. I think players like Tammy Abraham and N'Golo Kante will get a start in this game because they haven't started once since Tuchel came in and they'll want to show him why they deserve to start more games. Abraham hasn't started since his hat trick against Luton in the last round and a goal for him in this one could force his way into Tuchel's plans.
I'm going for a Chelsea win because they'll be too strong for Barnsley. They've made a good start under Tuchel and I can see them carry on with that start by winning this one fairly comfortably.
PREDICTION: 0-3
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