FA Cup 2014-15 5th Round: 10 Bold Predictions for Weekend of February 14
Four steps from glory, three from a Wembley final and two from the grand but still slightly hollow spectacle of a semi-final at the national stadium. It's FA Cup time again.
For the fifth round, we’ve got the added bonus of the matches taking place over Valentine’s Day weekend, so you can expect plenty of references to “the romance of the cup," “heartbreaking” defeats and “no love lost” on either side. But enough about this writer’s plans.
What will happen when the 16 teams still in the world’s oldest football competition collide?
As Chelsea and Manchester City players enjoy their weekend off, let’s get predicting.
Carlton Cole Won’t Celebrate If He Scores Against West Brom
1 of 10
The “if he scores” part of that statement above is a pretty big issue, given that we’re talking about a player who has netted just three times in his last 24 games for West Ham United, but Carlton Cole might be needed for his side against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns after Andy Carroll hobbled away from the draw at Southampton on crutches, reported by BBC Sport.
The fixture comes less than two weeks after Cole accused Hammers boss Sam Allardyce of ruining his career by blocking a transfer deadline day switch to the Baggies—as detailed by Allardyce himself in his London Evening Standard column—so if we are to see the all too rare sight of Cole netting on Saturday lunchtime, will the forward go down the Wes Hoolahan route of being respectful to a club he’s never actually played for?
Just weeks after being denied a switch to Aston Villa, Norwich City midfielder Hoolahan opted not to celebrate after giving his side the lead at Villa Park, something that—as pointed out by local paper the Eastern Daily Press—did not go down well and was, well, just a little bit weird.
West Brom vs. West Ham, Saturday, 12.45 p.m. GMT
Mark Hughes Will Relish Going Back to His Managerial Roots
2 of 10
Stoke City don’t often get hammered, with Wednesday night’s 4-1 loss at home to Manchester City the first time that they’ve conceded more than three goals in a game since a defeat to Liverpool 13 months ago—and even then they scored three of their own.
The loss will not have gone down well with manager Mark Hughes and punctured a decent little run in which a defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates was their only loss in the previous nine games.
The Welshman, though, will feel that there are few better places to bounce back than his old stomping ground of Ewood Park, home to a Blackburn Rovers club he led to three cup semi-finals and respectable Premier League finishes of sixth and seventh during his four seasons in charge.
He’ll feel those campaigns moulded him and prepared him for a long career as a manager, and given the calibre of sides already knocked out of this competition plus Stoke’s safe-as-houses position in the Premier League, a run to a second FA Cup final in four years—and second in their history—is very much on the cards.
Blackburn vs. Stoke, Saturday 3 p.m. GMT
Reading Will Take Advantage of Derby’s Championship Tunnel Vision
3 of 10
If it hadn’t hit them already, the high-octane nature of Tuesday night’s Championship summit meeting at Bournemouth will have told Derby County everything they need to know about their challenge for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Driven by last season’s playoff heartbreak, Steve McClaren’s side are level on points with the Cherries at the top end of the table following that 2-2 draw, and while it won’t be outwardly noticeable, there is bound to be a certain element of reserving themselves for the league challenges ahead when they take on fellow Championship side Reading at the iPro Stadium on Saturday.
Without the creative influence of the cup-tied Tom Ince or the player he effectively replaced, Jordon Ibe—who has excelled upon his return to Liverpool—McClaren’s men might find it tough against Steve Clarke’s mid-table Royals.
The Scot—an FA Cup winner while a Chelsea defender in 1997—might be tempted to give forward Yakubu a start in the only all-Football League tie of the round, and the Nigerian’s unpredictability could cause problems for a home defence whose focus may be elsewhere.
Derby vs. Reading, Saturday, 3 p.m. GMT
Dwight Gayle Won't Score Against Liverpool This Time
4 of 10
Three games, four goals.
One a consolation strike in a 3-1 defeat at Anfield, two inside 10 minutes on the night Liverpool’s impressive 2013/14 campaign fell apart and another on a soaking wet south London afternoon in late November, when things got as bad as they ever have for Brendan Rodgers.
Dwight Gayle’s specialist subject seems to be scoring goals against Liverpool, but the Crystal Palace forward hasn’t found the net in his last three matches and found himself dropped to the bench for the midweek draw with Newcastle. When Yaya Sanogo limped off in the first half, Alan Pardew opted to replace him with Fraizer Campbell—who duly scored the equaliser.
Pardew might be tempted to throw Gayle in from the start here simply because of who the opposition are, but even if he does, the forward will be coming up against a defence that is much improved from that November nightmare at Selhurst Park.
Liverpool hadn’t conceded a goal in open play in 90 minutes in eight matches prior to Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur, whose goals came from Harry Kane (who scores against everyone) and Mousa Dembele (when Kane was offside).
Gayle might find that his specialist subject has got a lot tougher.
Liverpool’s Midfield Injuries Can Be a Blessing in Disguise
5 of 10
Given they are already missing the injured Lucas Leiva—so influential in recent weeks—the news that Liverpool will also be without Steven Gerrard for the rest of February, as per Andy Hunter in the Guardian, will have come as a blow to Brendan Rodgers. But out of darkness often comes light.
And no one is shining brighter for Liverpool fans right now than 21-year-old Emre Can, who has overcome injury problems in his first few months in English football to become one of the first names on the Reds teamsheet.
Pressed into a role on the right side of the three central defenders since he came on for Kolo Toure at half-time at Burnley on Boxing Day, Can has been a revelation, and Liverpool’s defensive record has dramatically improved.
But when Gerrard limped off against Tottenham, the German youngster took up a place at the base of midfield, and he was brilliant there too—driving his team forward late into the game and helping them take the initiative that led to Mario Balotelli’s winning goal.
With no Lucas or Gerrard, he should start in midfield for the trip to Selhurst Park, with Dejan Lovren coming back into the side as the right centre-back—as Toure recovers from helping the Ivory Coast win the Africa Cup of Nations.
Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool, Saturday, 5.30 p.m. GMT
Carles Gil Will Be the Catalyst to Lift the Aston Villa Gloom
6 of 10
Paul Lambert has gone, but one of his significant recent additions remains.
It was Carles Gil who lifted the Villa Park crowd with his spectacular goal in the 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the fourth round, with the FA Cup remaining the only competition in which Aston Villa have won a game since December 7.
The opponents that day, 10 Premier League games ago, were Leicester City, who head back to Villa on Sunday afternoon with the home crowd surely buoyed by the removal of Lambert, who had perhaps unfairly become the symbol for the current malaise.
Leicester’s win at Tottenham in the last round tells you what Nigel Pearson’s side are capable of, but the farce surrounding his position at the club threatens to completely dominate a season that was already pretty desperate anyway.
If Gil can impose himself on the game—he set up Jores Okore for Villa’s first league goal in 11 hours last time out at Villa Park—then the hosts could prosper and a feelgood factor could rule for a couple of hours at least.
Aston Villa vs. Leicester, Sunday, 12.30 p.m. GMT
Bradford’s Heroics Will Continue Against Rudderless Sunderland
7 of 10
When you’ve beaten Premier League leaders Chelsea—at Stamford Bridge, from 2-0 down—then seeing off the team who’ve just become the first outfit to manage to lose at home to Queens Park Rangers this season should be easy.
The home tie against Sunderland won’t be simple for Phil Parkinson and Bradford City, of course, but the League One club can take advantage of the apparent lack of cohesion at the Black Cats as friction between Gus Poyet and his board has led to disappointment on the pitch.
The idea of bringing in Jermain Defoe as a goalscoring saviour might have been a good one when the former England man was on top of his game a few years ago, but the ex-Toronto FC man just seems to be bolted on to Poyet’s team at the moment—playing around rather than with them.
A victory over Defoe’s side at Valley Parade would add another giant-killing chapter to their storied history in this competition, and Bradford should feel very confident of getting one.
Bradford vs. Sunderland, Sunday 2.30 p.m. GMT
Arsenal’s Gabriel Could Be Left in a Spin by Lee Tomlin and Co.
8 of 10
New Arsenal defender Gabriel could be set for a debut when the Gunners host Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium, with the visitors looking to repeat their heroics against Manchester City in the last round.
Their performance in that 2-0 win attracted huge praise from all quarters, and as one of the most dynamic attacking teams in the Championship head to north London, you can bet that there will be a little trepidation in the air among those who follow Arsene Wenger’s side.
Gabriel, too, will perhaps be a little nervous, should he start, with Arsene Wenger at pains to point out that supporters need to be patient with his newest arrival as he adapts to English football, as per BBC Sport.
Should he fail to impress, he can bet that Boro’s Lee Tomlin—who memorably enjoyed his afternoon up against Vincent Kompany in Manchester—will be ready and willing to take advantage.
Arsenal vs. Middlesbrough, Sunday 4 p.m.
"My washing machine was making loads of noise I opened it and kompany crawled out I must of left him in my pocket 😂😂😂 #banter
— Lee Tomlin (@Leetomlin10) February 2, 2015
"
Proud Preston Will Pose Plenty of Problems for United
9 of 10
The final tie of the fifth round could end up being the most intriguing, as League One’s Preston North End become the latest lower-league side to have a crack at Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United.
United’s third-round opponents, Yeovil Town, impressed for an hour before succumbing to the gulf in class that obviously exists between the sides, but Cambridge United managed to overcome that and earn themselves a lucrative Old Trafford replay.
Preston—fourth in League One and living up to their long-held reputation as a good footballing side—are better than both of those two teams, so logic dictates that they’ll be a tough nut to crack for Van Gaal’s still not entirely convincing side.
In Joe Garner and Paul Gallagher, Preston have two players who certainly know where the goal is, and if this tie gets dressed up as the old romantic tale of the have-nots attempting to give a bloody nose to the haves, that’s because there’s every chance that’ll happen.
But Van Gaal Will Prosper by Trusting in James Wilson
10 of 10
Having said all of that, the overwhelming likelihood is that United will advance from the tie, but perhaps only if Louis van Gaal decides to omit one of his galaxy of expensive forwards and give youngster James Wilson another chance to shine.
The 19-year-old has scored on two of his last five appearances for United—including the fourth-round replay against Cambridge—and while it might put either Radamel Falcao or Robin van Persie’s nose out of joint for one night, he surely deserves a chance to start the game at Deepdale and be the man who looks to finish off what are likely to be plenty of chances.
Such is the speed and cost of the recruitment process at Old Trafford that Wilson’s future may eventually lie elsewhere, but giving chances to players like him is what United are all about—or at least they used to be—and like Sir Alex Ferguson before him, Van Gaal might find that youngsters very rarely let you down when you place your trust in them.
Preston vs. Manchester United, Monday, 7.45 p.m. GMT
