FA Cup 2015: Odds, Game Lines and Predictions for Round 4 Fixtures
One match has already been played in the fourth round of the 2014-15 FA Cup, with 30 more teams preparing to take the pitch over Saturday, Sunday and Monday with their eyes on one of the most prestigious awards in cup football.
Cambridge United showed the world there are no guarantees in a tournament like this, holding Manchester United to a draw on Friday to force a replay at Old Trafford. The other Premier League teams will hope to avoid a similar—or even worse—fate, going up against a number of lower-level clubs playing their biggest match of the season.
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Here is the full schedule for the fourth round of the 2014-15 FA Cup, complete with odds, courtesy of Oddsshark.com and Oddschecker.com:
| Friday, January 23 | Cambridge United | 0-0 | Manchester United | Already played |
| Saturday, January 24 | Birmingham (3-1) | 5-2 | WBA (11-10) | Draw |
| Saturday, January 24 | Blackburn (21-10) | 5-2 | Swansea (16-11) | Swansea |
| Saturday, January 24 | Tottenham (100-149) | 14-5 | Leicester City (4-1) | Tottenham |
| Saturday, January 24 | Southampton (100-149) | 14-5 | Crystal Palace (4-1) | Southampton |
| Saturday, January 24 | Chesterfield (5-1) | 14-5 | Derby (4-7) | Derby |
| Saturday, January 24 | Sunderland (100-137) | 13-5 | Fulham (19-5) | Draw |
| Saturday, January 24 | Chelsea (1-10) | 9-1 | Bradford (16-1) | Chelsea |
| Saturday, January 24 | Preston NE (57-50) | 247-100 | Sheffield Utd (12-5) | Sheffield Utd |
| Saturday, January 24 | Manchester City (3-10) | 5-1 | Middlesbrough (11-1) | Manchester City |
| Saturday, January 24 | Cardiff City (6-4) | 5-2 | Reading (2-1) | Cardiff City |
| Saturday, January 24 | Liverpool (10-29) | 9-2 | Bolton (11) | Liverpool |
| Sunday, January 25 | Aston Villa (11-10) | 247-100 | Bournemouth (249-100) | Bournemouth |
| Sunday, January 25 | Bristol City (7-2) | 5-2 | West Ham (4-5) | West Ham |
| Sunday, January 25 | Brighton (497-100) | 169/50 | Arsenal (20-37) | Arsenal |
| Monday, January 26 | Rochdale (453-100) | 29-10 | Stoke City (100-159) | Stoke City |
Manchester City on Upset Alert
The defending Premier League champions will host Middlesbrough at the Etihad and should be favourites going into the match, but Manchester City should be very wary of their opponents on Saturday.
Boro have the best defence in the Championship and have yet to lose a single match in 2015—City have struggled so far in the new calendar year and will be somewhat short-handed for this fixture.
Yaya Toure's absence has been felt during the draw against Everton and the loss against Arsenal—in fact, the club's numbers without him this season are downright awful, via Squawka Football:
Frank Lampard would be his natural replacement in midfield for Saturday's match, but as shared by ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery, he's unlikely to feature after picking up an injury during training:
A lack of physical presence in midfield is something the Citizens can ill-afford against Boro's disciplined defensive unit, built around the blue-collar mentality that has seen the club move within one point of the top spot in the Championship this season.
Goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos believes in his team's chances, via the FA's official Twitter feed:
Middlesborough will likely steal a page from Arsenal's book and put men behind the ball, drawing City's full-backs further up the pitch and eyeing the counter-attack. If they can limit David Silva's impact, people will have to step up in order to help win the battle for midfield.
This would play right into Boro's hands, and while I still expect City to advance to the next round, I'm not holding my breath for a comfortable win on Saturday.
The Year of the Cinderella Run
Everybody loves a good Cinderella story, and the reason people watch cup football is because it seems every year at least one lower-level club is capable of making a serious run in the FA Cup or Capital One Cup.
Cambridge United took a step in the right direction on Friday, forcing a replay against the Red Devils. Social media exploded with congratulations for the League Two side, and 101 Great Goals gave us this fantastic Vine of former United manager David Moyes and how happy he must be with the result:
The 0-0 draw is a fantastic result, but Cambridge aren't the only team with a real shot at pulling off an upset. I previously touched on Middlesbrough, but with several all-Premier League matches, the road is wide open for a handful of "lesser" clubs to make a deep run in the tournament.
Tottenham Hotspur host Leicester City and Crystal Palace will travel to Southampton—that's two Premier League sides already eliminated heading into the next round. Elsewhere, Fulham won't make life easy on Sunderland, while Swansea City will have their work cut out for them against Blackburn Rovers.
Aston Villa narrowly survived Blackpool in the third round of the FA Cup, their only win since early December. If you're a betting man, you can't like their chances against Championship leaders AFC Bournemouth.
Will the majority of Premier League teams advance? Probably, but looking at some of the fixtures, it's highly unlikely lower-league sides won't claim the scalp of at least two favoured clubs by the time the fourth round is over.
