FA Cup fourth round weekend: betPawa BIG match insights
The world’s oldest existing national football competition reaches the fourth round this weekend. There’s only 1 place to start, and that’s the Etihad Stadium where the top 2 teams in England right now do battle under the lights on Friday night.
Friday 27th January
The EPL champions meet the current league leaders in the outstanding tie of the FA Cup fourth round. Record 14-time winners Arsenal haven’t enjoyed their recent visits to Etihad Stadium, losing the last 3 by an aggregate scoreline of 9-0.
Those were all league matches, though, and this is a different Arsenal. Both managers will be prioritising the EPL but don’t be surprised if there is minimal squad rotation as Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, men who know each other well, look to make a huge statement.
Erling Haaland’s return of 25 EPL goals so far this season is higher than the tally achieved by 9 entire top-flight teams. Speaking of goalscorers, Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah has 9 goals in his last 12 league starts for the Gunners, and he bagged a brace in the previous round of this competition against Oxford. A high-quality contest should await us.
Saturday 28th January
Not so long ago, a match between Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City would have been an all-EPL meeting, so there’s certainly some nostalgia attached to this clash.
Blackburn are sitting in the play-off places despite a recent wobble which has seen them only win 1 of their last 5 in the Championship, and will be without key defender Daniel Ayala after his red card against Bristol City. Birmingham are struggling down in 19th place, having lost their last 5 league matches and conceded 9 goals in their last 3.
Marco Silva’s hosts have been mightily impressive in the EPL this season and look set for a mid-table finish, something that not many would have predicted. With little concern of relegation, they should approach this in a relaxed fashion and may see it as an opportunity to rotate.
Visitors Sunderland are in with a shot of making the Championship play-off places on their return to the division. Their 7 matches prior to a 2-0 league win over Middlesbrough last time out saw goals at both ends, hinting at an entertaining cup tie in prospect at Craven Cottage.
Tottenham might welcome the distraction of an FA Cup tie away from home after an inconsistent run of results in the EPL that has left them as outsiders in the race for a Champions League place.
The congested nature of the Championship table means that Preston, currently in 11th place, still have a realistic chance of reaching the play-off places as they trail sixth-placed Middlesbrough by just 2 points. They have lost 5 of their last 8 league encounters though, but a win against Birmingham last time out was a welcome result for manager Ryan Lowe.
Tottenham, also off the back of a much-needed win, had Harry Kane to thank for his match-winner against Fulham. He’s now level with Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer with 266 goals.
The Red Devils lost a thrilling EPL match 3-2 at leaders Arsenal last weekend so their focus now shifts to a competition they haven’t won since 2016. United are the second-most decorated team in FA Cup history, though, and will be eager to make it lucky number 13 in 2023 under new boss Erik Ten Hag.
Marcus Rashford continued his scintillating form by opening the scoring at the Emirates. The 25-year-old Englishman’s first 9 United games following WC22 delivered 9 goals and 2 assists.
Reading, managed by former Man Utd midfielder Paul Ince, aren’t in great shape, going winless in their last 4 Championship matches and shipping 8 goals in that run.
Sunday 29th January
The Reds haven’t had to wait long for an opportunity to exact revenge against the Seagulls. Liverpool were humbled 3-0 at the Amex in the EPL on 14th January, but they have kept consecutive clean sheets since against Wolves in the FA Cup (1-0) and Chelsea in the EPL (0-0).
New Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is earning praise from around the globe for his buccaneering brand of football, and rightly so. His team have scored at least 2 goals in each of their last 6 matches across all competitions.
10 of Brighton’s 12 last matches have seen goals at both ends, including a 4-1 win over Chelsea in October, and they’ve scored 31 times in that sequence. Under their new Italian boss, Brighton might just become a lot of people’s second favourite team.