FA Cup
The Premier League’s top four
teams are playing against one another in this FA Cup weekend, as Man City play
Chelsea while Arsenal host Liverpool. It is guaranteed that a Championship club
will reach the quarter-finals, as Sheffield Wednesday play Charlton, and the
lowest ranked side left, League One Sheffield United, have a winnable home tie
against Nottingham Forest.
Sunderland vs. Southampton
Adam Lallana |
Of these two, Southampton are the
team who could benefit most from FA Cup success. Sunderland are already in the
final of the League Cup, and are deeply embroiled in a relegation battle.
Southampton are eight games unbeaten, almost guaranteed to finish in the top
half of the Premier League, and Mauricio Pochettino will look to chase
silverware to add gloss to their campaign. Southampton have a wealth of
talented players in their squad, most notably Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana,
but Sunderland seem to be reliant on a good performance from Adam Johnson. This
will be the fourth time these teams meet this season, but Southampton can
record their first win against Sunderland from another long trip up to
Wearside. 1-2.
Cardiff vs. Wigan
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer |
There might be a division between
these two clubs, but if the impact their respective new managers have made is
anything to go by, there is not a gulf in class by any means. If the Premier
League season started when Solskjaer took over at Cardiff, they would be seven
points adrift of safety. If the Championship season started when Rosler took
the reins at Wigan, they would be near the automatic promotion places. The
quality of these two squads is very similar, and the sturdiness of Wigan’s
defence means they should be able to earn a replay, in a close contest. 1-1.
Sheff Wed vs. Charlton
Leon Best |
The winners of this
all-Championship contest will be just one game away from a trip to Wembley.
Reaching the quarter finals will be a great achievement for either of them,
given that they have spent most of the season struggling in a relegation
battle. Sheffield Wednesday were unbeaten in eleven, before they fell to a 3-0
home defeat to Wigan on Tuesday. Charlton, on the other hand, have lost their
last four in the league and currently sit inside the relegation places. Wednesday
are in much better overall form, and have recently brought in a few loanees to
freshen up their squad, most notably striker Leon Best. Home advantage could
see the Owls through. 1-0.
Man City vs. Chelsea
Branislav Ivanovic |
Time for Manchester City to prove
their invincibility at home. They now have Chelsea and Barcelona at the Etihad
in the space of three days, before their return to league action. It was only a
couple of weeks ago that this fixture was played in the league – Chelsea won
1-0 - and City will want revenge for that defeat. The other factor is Chelsea
dropped points in the title race in midweek, conceding a late equalizer at West
Brom, after Branislav Ivanovic put them ahead. The hosts have had all week to prepare for their next two matches, which
will define their chances of winning multiple honours this season. 2-1.
Everton vs. Swansea
Wilfried Bony |
A surprise result could be on the
cards here, as Roberto Martinez faces his old club. So far, Garry Monk seems to
have improved performances at Swansea, with a respectable four points from two
games. Everton meanwhile, have gone off the boil lately, with just one win in
their last four league games, although two of them were against Liverpool and
Tottenham. These are two teams who try to play positive, possession football.
Wilfried Bony is a quality striker for Swansea, and he has the ability to have
an impact, in what could be an entertaining contest. 1-2.
Sheff Utd vs. Nottm Forest
Harry Maguire |
Sheffield United might be the
lowest-ranked side in the FA Cup, but they are not to be underestimated, as
Nigel Clough’s side have already beaten Premier League opposition twice. Their
main problem in the league has been goals, with young centre-back Harry Maguire
in fact being their top scorer. They do have a couple of games in hand on those
above them in the relegation battle, and a squad with much potential, so they
should get out of trouble. After a big league win at Huddersfield, Nottingham
Forest are now just five points away from the automatic promotion places in the
Championship, although they have just lost midfielder Henri Lansbury to a
long-term injury. The outcome of this one might well be a replay. 1-1.
Arsenal vs. Liverpool
Daniel Sturridge |
Liverpool are just three points
behind Arsenal. They look, potentially, to be gate-crashing the Premier League
title race, as Daniel Sturridge has now scored in eight consecutive games. The
Reds recently beat Arsenal 5-1 in the league just a week ago, and that result
might have damaged morale for Arsene Wenger’s side. They played with very
little confidence against Manchester United on Wednesday, and tend to struggle
against the big teams. The other factor is, Arsenal have got to play Bayern
Munich on Wednesday, whereas Liverpool have not got to play in Europe this
year, so a run in the cup will serve only to build confidence. 1-2.
Brighton vs. Hull
Steve Bruce |
Brighton have kept an impressive
eight clean sheets since mid-December. They are building their Championship play-off
push on an ability to control games, and restrict their opponents to limited
time on the ball. Hull are just three points above the Premier League drop
zone, but going out of the cup would not benefit them at all. Steve Bruce's side have lost
five out of seven league games since New Year, scoring just three times, and
losing again on Monday could create a downward cycle of momentum. Combined,
these two teams have scored a total of fifty-seven goals from fifty-six games,
so this could be a bore draw. 0-0.
The Championship
The big games in the Championship
this weekend, are at the bottom. We have another Yorkshire Derby as Doncaster,
who have developed some good home form over recent weeks, host a Barnsley side
who have only won once away. Bolton will be looking to put an end to their
slide towards the bottom when they travel to Millwall, who have got off to a
rather uninspiring start under Ian Holloway, with just one win in six. At the
top, Burnley have the opportunity to open up a six point lead over third place
if they win at Bournemouth, with QPR not playing play-off contenders Reading
until Sunday.
Birmingham vs. Huddersfield
Lee Clark |
With more solid away performances,
Birmingham took three points from two games, with a win at Charlton and narrow defeat to Watford. Now, the Blues have surely got to put an end their
run of ten games without a home win. Huddersfield’s away form is hardly more
impressive. They have lost five of their last six on the road, and Nahki Wells
has not quite built on scoring twice in his first two appearances, with no
goals in four since. Huddersfield tend to play with three at the back, and that
might give Birmingham’s key man, Chris Burke, a chance to create space down the
right wing. Lee Clark will come up trumps against Huddersfield, his former club. 2-1.
Bournemouth vs. Burnley
Tokelo Rantie |
In the reverse fixture back in
November, Tokelo Rantie scored a peach with his first goal for Bournemouth, as
the Cherries took a surprise point at Turf Moor. Little has changed in four
months. Bournemouth are still midtable, Burnley are still serious promotion
contenders, and Tokelo Rantie has only netted once in eleven appearances since
that day. Due to his lack of contribution, Eddie Howe has recently signed Yann
Kermorgant to compete to play up front with Lewis Grabban, but Kermorgant has
not completed ninety minutes for them yet. Danny Ings and Sam Vokes for
Burnley, who have stayed injury free thus far, is looking a more threatening
strike-partnership than any pairing Bournemouth can put out. 1-2.
Doncaster vs. Barnsley
Billy Sharp |
This is the twelfth of twenty
Yorkshire Derbies this season, and one of the most important we’ll see. A win
for Doncaster, who have played more games than those below, would take them
eight points clear of the drop zone, and maintain some strong home form from
Paul Dickov’s side. The Rovers have not scored in either of their last two
games, but that was against organized sides in Middlesbrough and Brighton. The
main problem is a three match suspension to Billy Sharp, who is their best bet
in terms of goals, with Chris Brown not scoring many and Theo Robinson
struggling with an injury. A second away win of the season for Barnsley would
give them real hope of staying in this league, as the Tykes have two games in
hand on Millwall, who they play next Saturday. Chris O’Grady continued his
scoring form with another goal against Ipswich last week, but the Tykes could
not hold onto a two goal lead. Doncaster will grab a third home win of the
year, and edge towards Championship survival. 1-0.
Ipswich vs. Blackpool
Mick McCarthy |
This will be a long nine-hour
round trip for Blackpool fans, and if their current away form is anything to go
by, it could feel even longer. The Tangerines have lost each of their last
seven games on the road, although they did manage to rescue a home point
against Nottingham Forest last time out. By contrast, Ipswich’s home record is
impressive. Since Mick McCarthy took over last November, they have won eighteen
out of a possible thirty-one league games at Portman Road. To boot, the Tractor
Boys now have a striker playing with confidence in David McGoldrick, who has
netted three in three. A form striker is a commodity Blackpool do not have at
the moment, and outside the relegation places, only Doncaster have scored less
goals than Barry Ferguson’s new side. Comfortable home win. 2-0.
Millwall vs. Bolton
Steve Morison |
Two teams who are dangerously
close to the relegation zone. Both Barnsley and Charlton have two games in hand
on these sides, making this match something of a ‘must win’. Millwall have only
won one game in six since Ian Holloway took over. Steve Morison managed to
score his fifth goal of the season to grab a point late on at Yeovil on Tuesday,
but generally, the Bristolian has hardly had the typical ‘new manager’ impact. Bolton
could change their boss, too. Dougie Freedman is now under pressure, after
another defeat to Lancashire rivals Burnley. Given the overall quality of
Bolton’s squad, they should not be anywhere near the relegation zone,
regardless of the financial problems. 1-1.
Watford vs. Middlesbrough
Tomas Mejias |
Middlesbrough have probably
picked the wrong time to be signing a goalkeeper, as Aitor Karanka has brought
in Tomas Mejias from Real Madrid’s B side. But Boro have kept eight clean
sheets from their last ten matches, each of which veteran keeper Shay Given
played in, so you would not have thought that any change would be necessary. Middlesbrough
visit Watford, who look to be regaining some form, as two home wins to nil
sandwiched a respectable draw at leaders Leicester. In their last match, a 1-0
victory over Birmingham, Troy Deeney netted his first league goal since Boxing
Day. These are two teams who look to be bringing in exotic, foreign players to
try and win promotion. It may take both of them the rest of this season, to
consolidate under their respective new managers. 2-1.
QPR vs. Reading
Clint Hill |
QPR are usually reliable at home,
having dropped points at Loftus Road on just four occasions this season.
However, they have only taken six points from eight games against teams
currently in the top seven, and their lack of appetite for the big games is
surprising, given the squad’s experience. Reading have been surprisingly
inconsistent since the turn of the year. After hitting seven past Bolton, they
lost at Ipswich, and after beating Blackpool and Millwall comfortably, they
lost 2-0 to Sheffield Wednesday. It is difficult to know which Reading side
will show. We can expect QPR to have long spells on the ball, but with Charlie
Austin out they could lack potency going forward, and in Le Fondre and Pogrebnyak, Reading have better striking options. With Dunne and Hill aging to some extent, the Royals might just thrive
on the counter attack. 1-2.
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