West Ham vs West Brom Sat 25 Jan 2020, 3pm (UK)
This is a very tasty tie as it’ll see Slaven Bilić return to his former club. Bilić is working wonders at West Brom, having led them to the top of the Championship table after taking over in the summer. West Ham, on the other hand, have had a turgid season and have replaced Mauricio Pellegrino with David Moyes. Avoiding relegation is their priority now and Moyes should field a weakened XI, so Bilić’s West Brom side have a glorious chance to progress.
Prediction: West Brom WIN
Northampton Town vs Derby County Fri 24 Jan 2020, 8pm (UK)
League Two side Northampton Town are the lowest ranked team still in the competition. They had to play a team one division above them in the third round as they took on and defeated Burton Albion 4-2. Now it’s another step up as they host Championship side Derby County. With the Rams having improved over the past month, this should be a step too far for Northampton Town.
Prediction: Derby County WIN
Hull City vs Chelsea Sat 25 Jan 2020, 5.30pm (UK)
It was against Chelsea that Hull City’s FA Cup journey came to an end two seasons ago as they were thrashed 4-0 by Antonio Conte’s side. That was at Stamford Bridge and this year, with Frank Lampard in charge, Chelsea will have to visit Hull City at the KCOM Stadium. You’d still expect the Premier League side to get the job done and you’d expect Lampard to field a fairly strong XI considering that Chelsea have a rare free midweek after this game and considering that this is the Blues’ best chance of silverware this season.
Prediction: Chelsea WIN
Portsmouth vs Barnsley Sat 25 Jan 2020, 3pm (UK)
A place in the fifth round is up for grabs here in this battle between a third-tier and a second-tier team. With Portsmouth knocking on the door of the League One promotion places and with Barnsley down at the bottom of the Championship, these teams look quite evenly matched and it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see Pompey do it.
Prediction: Portsmouth WIN
Millwall vs Sheffield United Sat 25 Jan 2020, 3pm (UK)
Sheffield United are having an excellent 2019/20 season and some are tipping them to put together a good cup run. Against Millwall, they have an opponent that is going strong in the Championship but that has a much-more important league fixture against Leeds United coming up three days after this cup tie. That and the fact that Sheffield United’s brand of football has been travelling well this season, with Chris Wilder’s team boasting the sixth-best away record in the Premier League, tilts this one in the away side’s favour.
Prediction: Sheffield United WIN
Manchester City vs Fulham Sun 26 Jan 2020, 1pm (UK)
Manchester City have won seven FA Cup matches in a row, scoring a total of 30 goals and conceding just four. They’ve always taken this competition seriously under Pep Guardiola and you’d expect them to do so again this season considering the Premier League title looks lost. Fulham have been doing well of late, but to win an FA Cup game at the Etihad seems too big of an ask.
Prediction: Manchester City WIN
Bournemouth vs Arsenal Mon 27 Jan 2020, 8pm (UK)
The final match of the fourth round is a big one as Bournemouth host Arsenal. These two teams played each other just a few weeks ago, drawing 1-1 on Boxing Day. That was Mikel Arteta’s first match and there was some improvement in the Gunners’ play that day, but not as much as might have been expected. Arteta’s results since then have been mixed. It’s true that Bournemouth have been struggling too, but this feels like another difficult trip to Arsenal.
Prediction: DRAW – Arsenal to win the replay
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