12 Storylines to Follow in FA Cup 4th Round
Three weeks after the third round and a week-and-a-half on from the replays, it's FA Cup time again, and we're down to the final 32 teams.
As always, that means there are a wide range of stories waiting to be told, but what are the most compelling tales on fourth-round weekend?
Let us guide you through them.
Cambridge Hope to Do More Than Talk a Good Game Against the 'Other' United
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Listen to the Cambridge United manager Richard Money talk about the tie that pits the lowest-ranked side left in the competition against Manchester United, and you’ll hear a man who isn’t overawed.
The former Liverpool defender said of his players to the Daily Mail: “I hope they come to the game full of optimism. I hope they come to the game with some belief that Friday can be the one in one hundred days that we can cause an upset.”
Yeovil Town—who play in a league above Cambridge—had a similar outlook before their third-round tie against United but were ultimately undone by roughly £88 million worth of quality in Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria.
As is so often the case, financial power could dictate the outcome, but Money will hope to ensure that his players don’t leave those looking for an upset on Friday feeling short-changed.
They’ll give it a go, you can put your house on that.
Cambridge United vs. Manchester United: Friday, 7.55 p.m. GMT
Swansea Look to Shake off Chelsea Chastening at Blackburn
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It comes to something when you’re so bad that you even have to apologise to the opposition manager for failing to give his team a game, but that is exactly what Swansea’s Garry Monk did after the 5-0 humbling against Chelsea, according to Wales Online.
The fightback begins at Blackburn early on Saturday, and in Swansea’s post-Wilfried Bony world, it is very important for the new-look front two of Bafetimbi Gomis and Nelson Oliveira to click at Ewood Park, home to a club who have won just one of their last eight matches in the Championship and who are likely to lose top goalscorer Rudy Gestede to the Premier League sooner rather than later, as reported by the BBC.
If that front two can click, this could be the perfect setting for the Swans to fly again.
Blackburn Rovers vs. Swansea City: Saturday, 12.45 p.m. GMT
Improving Birmingham to Test Pulis’ Baggies’ Bounce
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All the talk on Monday night at Goodison Park might have been about Kevin Mirallas’ selfishness, but in the background and behind all of the noise was another solid West Bromwich Albion performance.
After starting the New Year’s Day game at West Ham United in the stands and seeing his team concede a 10th-minute goal to Diafra Sakho, Tony Pulis headed down to the touchline in his first match at Baggies boss. They haven’t conceded a goal in 350 minutes of football since.
Gateshead, Hull City and Everton have provided varying opponents, though, and this short trip to Birmingham City will be as tough as anything put up by that trio.
Stand up to this challenge and Pulis' new side will really be on the right track.
Birmingham City vs. West Bromwich Albion: Saturday, 3 p.m. GMT
Will Bradford Game Finally See Mourinho Turn to Youth?
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If ever there was a game in which Jose Mourinho could turn to some of his youngsters, then the home meeting with League One’s Bradford City between their League Cup double-header with Liverpool is surely it.
The Yorkshire side hammered Millwall, 4-0, in a third-round replay to remove the prospect of a feisty London derby, and so Mourinho has the chance to give some of his star names the day off and introduce Blues fans to the future.
Nathan Ake played for the last 10 minutes of the third-round win over Watford for his fourth appearance of the season, Andreas Christensen has only appeared once this campaign, Ruben Loftus-Cheek got seven minutes in the Champions League group stage and Dominic Solanke got 17.
Does their manager trust them with any more?
Chelsea vs. Bradford City: Saturday, 3 p.m. GMT
Will It Be Stick or Twist for Pellegrini and Aguero?
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Occasionally isolated and eternally frustrated, Manchester City’s loss to Arsenal was a difficult one for Sergio Aguero to take as he seeks to get back to full fitness.
With City’s title aspirations potentially on the line when they go to Chelsea on January 31, Manuel Pellegrini will want his star forward fit and firing, but does that mean giving him game time at home to Middlesbrough or resting him entirely and trusting in Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko—two players he seems to have lost faith in?
Championship playoff hopefuls Boro will be seeking to become the first team besides Wigan Athletic to beat City in the FA Cup in three years, and in light of the way Pellegrini’s men unconvincingly got past Sheffield Wednesday in the last round and the Arsenal result, they might have a fighting chance.
Manchester City vs. Middlesbrough: Saturday, 3 p.m. GMT
The Pardew Express Rolls Back into Southampton
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A comfortable FA Cup win, a home victory over Tottenham Hotspur and a come-from-behind success at Burnley. In his first three matches as Crystal Palace boss, Alan Pardew has rediscovered what it is to be liked again.
On Saturday, he heads back to Southampton—where was sacked as manager in 2010 and saw his Newcastle United side deliver what was probably their worst performance of this season—with the clear goal of upsetting Ronald Koeman’s apple cart.
It is precisely the sort of test that Palace relish, and off the back of good league results, don’t be surprised if Pardew’s smile is still beaming come the final whistle.
Southampton vs. Crystal Palace: Saturday, 3 p.m. GMT
Will Leicester Start to Put Their Faith in Kramaric?
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Going to a replay, going 2-0 down early on and still fighting back to win your FA Cup third-round tie must give you a name-on-the-trophy-type feeling, and there is a lot of merit in backing an improving Tottenham Hotspur to go all the way in this competition under Mauricio Pochettino.
To get past this round, though, they’ll need to win a home tie against a Leicester City side who are likely to start with club-record signing Andrej Kramaric up front a week after he got 25 minutes on his debut in the defeat to Stoke City.
League games such as that one will remain the most important for the Foxes, but if the Croatian can show signs of a quick adaptation to English football at White Hart Lane, then his status as their potential saviour will be secured.
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Leicester City: Saturday, 3 p.m. GMT
Heskey Brings the Romance of the Cup to Anfield
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Formerly exiled in Australia, the punchline to many a bad joke and a player who seemingly existed only in Vine form to many of the younger generation, Emile Heskey can’t have thought he’d ever turn out at Anfield again.
Fourteen years after arguably being the key figure in Liverpool’s 2001 FA Cup triumph (he scored five goals in the five games leading up to Michael Owen’s mugging of Arsenal in the final), 37-year-old Heskey returns to Merseyside after starting Bolton’s last three games, completing the full 90 minutes in the most recent two.
He’ll get a terrific reception at his former home, and in many ways, the occasion will be a fitting sendoff for the career of a man who has been unfairly derided.
Liverpool vs. Bolton Wanderers: Saturday, 5.30 p.m. GMT
Were West Ham’s Penalty Heroics Worth It?
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No sooner had Adrian picked up his gloves and West Ham United were assured of a fourth-round place following the mammoth tie and penalty shootout against Everton, Hammers boss Sam Allardyce might have started wondering if it was all worth it.
His side now face the huge banana skin of a trip to Bristol City, a team who are riding high in League One, have suffered only one defeat in 12 and have won their last six at Ashton Gate.
Manager Steve Cotterill is no stranger to the FA Cup limelight—it is now a decade since his Burnley side beat Liverpool thanks to Djimi Traore’s comical own goal—and you can be sure he’ll be relishing coming up against the newly popular Allardyce, who might feel his side do not need this distraction, given their league form.
Bristol City vs. West Ham United: Sunday, 2 p.m. GMT
Aston Villa Look to Put an Uncomfortable Stat to Bed
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In many ways, it is the most damning statistic in what has been a pretty damning season for Aston Villa.
As Bleacher Report UK pointed out on Twitter last week, Bournemouth’s eight goals in the city of Birmingham this season (all scored in an 8-0 win against Birmingham in October) is more than the seven Birmingham-dwelling Aston Villa have managed all campaign.
The 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last Saturday ensured that miserable return stretched to 12 games, but with the visit of Bournemouth this Sunday comes a chance to put things right.
Villa had enough decent chances against Liverpool to warrant scoring at least once, and against a side with more than one eye on Championship promotion, the opportunities will be there again.
Aston Villa vs. Bournemouth: Sunday, 3 p.m. GMT
"Amazing stat of the day? Bournemouth have scored more goals in the city of Birmingham this season than Aston Villa. pic.twitter.com/9f4kEPNdxr
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) January 13, 2015"
Arsenal Seek a Different Type of Away Performance
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The praise from Sunday’s excellent win at Manchester City must still be ringing in Arsenal’s ears, and it might also still be there when they go to Brighton and Hove Albion's Falmer Stadium on Sunday.
They are likely to need a different type of away display to get past Chris Hughton’s recently inherited Seagulls, though, two years after a late winner from Theo Walcott capped a 3-2 victory over these same opponents, who were then managed by Gus Poyet.
Walcott might well come into the Arsenal team for the clash along with several other fringe players, but the Gunners will be expected to get on the front foot and dictate possession against a side struggling at the wrong end of the Championship.
Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Arsenal: Sunday, 4 p.m. GMT
Rochdale Try to Grasp Their Moment in the Spotlight
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They’ll have to wait until the final match of the round on Monday night, but that won’t bother Rochdale and charismatic boss Keith Hill one bit.
League One Dale take on Stoke City of the Premier League at their Spotland home, and after non-league Wrexham gave Mark Hughes’ side a big scare in the last round, the hosts will hope to prey on any perceived weaknesses in their illustrious visitors.
Key to everything will be Matt Done, Ian Henderson and Peter Vincenti, who between them have scored 36 of Dale’s 47 goals in all competitions this season—including Vincenti’s penalty winner against Nottingham Forest last time out.
That shock didn’t receive the credit it deserved, but one here certainly would.
Rochdale vs. Stoke City: Monday, 8 p.m. GMT
