10 Predictions for the FA Cup 4th Round

The fourth round of the FA Cup is already underway.

So far this weekend, the "magic of the cup" has bestowed upon us a fortuitous 1-0 win for Tottenham at Watford and a rare Denis Stracquilursi goal helping Everton to beat Fulham.

With another 14 fixtures to come before the draw for the fifth round is completed, here are 10 things which could happen in the world's oldest football competition this weekend.

Patrice Evra Will Get Booed at Anfield

Manchester United's trip to face Liverpool is one of two highly-combustible fourth-round ties which the FA would probably rather were not happening at all.

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez remains suspended for the tie after being found guilty of racially abusing United left-back Patrice Evra earlier this season.

As such there is sure to be an air of bitterness around what is always a passionate fixture, in the stands far more than among the players.

United assistant manager Mike Phelan confirmed earlier in the week that Evra will be considered for selection, meaning he is almost certain to play.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish have both appealed for calm from both sets of supporters, but it seems unlikely that will be enough to stop a minority of people in the ground laying into the French defender, at least when he has his first few touches of the ball.

A Handshake (or Lack Thereof) Will Overshadow a Match

Saturday's other half of the unseemly 'racism double-header' sees Chelsea make the short trip to Loftus Road to face Queens Park Rangers.

With the magistrates hearing into allegations of John Terry's abuse of Anton Ferdinand scheduled for next week, the Chelsea captain is available to play against his team's local rivals.

The build-up to the game, which starts at midday on police advice, has been dominated by speculation as to whether or not the two players will shake hands before kickoff. 

Things took an even more sinister turn on Friday when reports emerged that Ferdinand had been sent a bullet in the post. Such a horrible development throws into perspective how at least one irresponsible bookmaker was offering odds on bookings being handed out for fouls on the two protagonists in the affair.

Whatever the result, coverage of this West London derby will be overshadowed by the what happens to the two defenders over the 90 minutes.

Bolton Will Get Another Cup Run

The Trotters are mired in a relegation battle in the league, so a cup fixture may come as a blessed relief for the club and manager Owen Coyle.

Quite often teams who are struggling at the wrong end of the table find the alleviated pressure of a one-off fixture liberating, and Bolton may experience such a 'bounce' on Saturday.

Swansea beat Bolton 3-1 when they met at the Liberty Stadium back in October, but they travel to the Reebok Stadium having only won away once in the league this term.

Coyle has built his reputation largely on cup runs he has had with each of his former clubs in Scotland and England, and last year he led his current side to the semifinals of this competition. 

For once, predicting a Bolton win may not be quite as foolhardy as usual.

There Will Be a League One Club in the 5th Round

This is not so much a prediction as a statement of fact. There will definitely be at least one side from the third tier of English football courtesy of the tie between Stevenage and Notts County.

However, aside from that clash at Broadhall Way there is also ties involving Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, away to Blackpool and at home to Birmingham, respectively.

With both sides from the steel city facing facing clubs from the division above, there is more than a slim chance that at least one of them will provide a minor upset and reach the fifth round.

Paolo Di Canio Will Make More Headlines

It would have been unthinkable this time last year that Swindon Town would be seen as a sexy side, but the appointment of Paolo di Canio has made that happen.

The fiery Italian always made for compulsive viewing in his days as a player for the likes of Celtic, West Ham and Lazio, but now he is attracting plenty of attention at the County Ground.

After a poor start to the season, five wins in their last six league games have seen Swindon shift up the League Two table, and they are now very much in the mix for promotion.

Add to that the elimination of a Premier League side in the last round and di Canio's frequent run-ins with the authorities and it seems that, win or lose, the Swindon boss will be a talking point one way or the other come Sunday.

Southampton's Slump Will Continue

Saints got off to a flying start in the championship following their promotion from League One last season, giving hope to many that they could emulate Norwich's fantastic feat of two successive promotions.

That is still very much a possibility, but their form of late has really knocked their momentum.

They have only won two of their last 10 league games, a run which has included defeats to relegation battlers Doncaster and Bristol City (twice).

Last weekend saw them relinquish their lead at the top of the table to West Ham, and they have Carling Cup finalists Cardiff breathing down their necks in pursuit of an automatic promotion place.

With that in mind, an intimidating trip to Millwall is hardly what Nigel Adkins and his players will want at such a potentially pivotal stage in their season.  

Newcastle Will Enjoy Day by the Seaside

Few teams could be said to be blowing hot and cold quite as much as Newcastle are at the moment.

Since they lost 3-1 to Liverpool at Anfield on December 30 they have beaten Manchester United 3-0, scraped a 1-0 win over QPR and were on the receiving end of a 5-2 humping at the hands of Fulham.

So they are due a win, and manager Alan Pardew will want his players to deliver an instant riposte to that second-half meltdown at Craven Cottage.

When the Magpies visit the Seagulls, it might be the Geordie club that claims a morale-boosting win in the fixture that no one is calling the Battle of the Birds.

Crawley Will Show They Are on the Up Again

Crawley Town are one of the most upwardly mobile clubs in English football right now.

Able to attract league quality players to the Conference last year with big signing-on fees, the West Sussex club romped to promotion into the professional ranks and are currently second in League Two.

Last season they made the fifth round, beating Derby County along the way and going out to a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United, so they have real cup form upon which to draw confidence when they travel to championship side Hull City.

Even if they are unable to emulate last season's achievement, they are likely to give a good account of themselves as they continue their march up the Football League pyramid. 

Wear-Tees Derby Will Lift Flagging Fixtures

On the whole, this season's fourth-round fixtures are not really ones to set the pulse racing.

That problem is only exacerbated by the two most appealing ties both being overshadowed by unpleasantness.

So Sunday's clash between Sunderland and north-east rivals Middlesbrough will be highly anticipated by all those hoping to see a good old-fashioned rip-roarer of a cup tie.

Martin O'Neill and Tony Mowbray have both engineered remarkable turnarounds at their respective clubs. O'Neill recent arrival at the Stadium of Light has turned Sunderland from relegation candidates to mid-table mainstays in a matter of weeks, while Mowbray has made Boro into surefire bets for the playoffs if not outsiders for automatic promotion. 

No derby in this part of the world is ever a tame affair, and the one-off nature if a cup game is sure to add an extra frisson of excitement to this grand old fixture.   

Arsenal Will Struggle to Get Past Villa

The Gunners are going through a tough time at the moment. Defeat to Manchester United is, in isolation, nothing to push the panic button over, but when said loss is the club's third on the bounce then there is likely to be a great deal of consternation among the fans.

Defeats to Fulham and Swansea are the results that have raised the hackles of so many supporters, and the visit of Villa is by no means a given either.

The Birmingham side have only lost once in their five visits to the Emirates, winning two of their last three to boot.

With his injury problems and his well-known policy for utilising his squad for domestic cup fixtures, Arsene Wenger may be given even more to worry about in the final tie of the weekend.