FA Cup Fourth-Round Preview
FA Cup action continues this weekend with mouth-watering clashes kicking off on Friday night! Here`s what we`ve highlighted to keep an eye on this weekend.
Tottenham are back in action after a 12-day rest following a 2-2 against Manchester United in the Premier League. Spurs secured a humble 1-0 victory over Burnley in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, but a tie against the reigning Champions is certainly harder. Spurs go into the game in fairly confident form, having recovered from a 5-game EPL winless streak, and have now lost just 1 of their last 7 games in all competitions. Furthermore, Spurs have beaten Man City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 5 consecutive games in all competitions, and the Citizens have failed to score even 1 goal in all of those 5 games.
Manchester City breezed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 5-0 victory over Huddersfield. They followed up on the win with a 3-2 victory over Newcastle in the Premier League, extending their unbeaten streak to 9 games in all competitions. A trip to Tottenham has proven to be a horrendous task for Pep`s side as mentioned earlier, but their 3-3 draw in the Premier League earlier in the season gives us a glimpse of what to expect from this fixture. Both sides are in good form at the moment, and we are expecting another goal-feast on the menu on Friday night. Therefore, we expect both teams to score and over 2.5 goals.
Fulham needed just 1 goal to get past Rotherham in the third round of the FA Cup. However, the Cottagers went on a poor run of form – getting knocked out of the EFL Cup against Liverpool and taking a 1-0 defeat against Chelsea in the Premier League. Silva`s outfit has been below par this season, as they have not found themselves 13th in the Premier League, and have already taken a 3-0 beating from Newcastle this season. They`ve failed to beat the Magpies 7 consecutive meetings and have lost 3 of their last times hosting Newcastle – scoring just 1 goal and conceding a whooping 10.
Things are going downhill fast for Howe`s side as they`ve lost 8 of their last 10 games in all competitions. Although the Magpies took a comfortable 3-0 victory in the third round against Sunderland, they went on to lose 3-2 against Man City in the Premier League. Still, considering their blistering form against Fulham, this is certainly a game that Howe & Co. can use to bolster confidence. To their advantage, Newcastle enjoyed a 2-week break from competitive football, which is exactly what the doctor ordered to keep their FA Cup hopes alive. We expect over 2.5 goals this game and Newcastle to win.
A 3-1 victory over Eastleigh proved Newport's superiority in the third round of the FA Cup and they`ve followed the win with a 1-0 victory over Wrexham in League Two. Nevertheless, it is a no-brainer that Newport are the heavy underdogs in this fixture and have very little to back themselves whilst sitting 14th in England`s League Two. Although they`ve gone 7 games unbeaten in all competitions, it is almost impossible to see them walking into the 5th round of this season`s FA Cup.
Manchester United enjoyed a comfortable run of games in the FA Cup, as they handed Wigan a 2-0 victory in their third-round clash. The Red Devils went on to show attacking prowess in their clash against Tottenham, although their repetitive defensive inefficiencies led to them just 1 point at home. Still, Ten Hag had 2 weeks to prepare his side for this FA Cup, and still according to a report they`ve suffered a 3-1 defeat to Burnley in a “closed-door” fixture this week. It is not to say that they will struggle in this fixture, but their defensive abilities have been shocking this season and there`s a slim chance for the underdogs to maybe squeeze in one goal. In this fixture, we expect over 3.5 goals and a risky bet of both teams scoring.