Tottenham v Manchester City – 8pm, Friday 26th January (ITV1)
The pick of the FA Cup 4th round starts with a bang Friday night where an undesirable record must go. Spurs’ miserable recent FA Cup run meets Manchester City’s winless record at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Something’s got to give!
You have to go all the way back to 1991 to find the last time Spurs won a trophy and they haven’t really come close in the FA Cup of late either, getting no further than the fifth round in each of their last six seasons. It’s something which Ange Postecoglou will be keen to change having won the treble with Celtic last season, though they made heavy weather of Burnley in the previous round.
Meanwhile it’s rare to find anyone with a perfect record over Pep Guardiola, but his Manchester City side have been defeated to nil on each of their five visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It’s a small blot on an otherwise encouraging copybook, as City have won all four of their matches since returning with the Club World Cup trophy and are bolstered by the return of superstar playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
Guardiola has reached at least the FA Cup semi finals in all but one of his previous seven campaigns in charge of Manchester City. His only defeat away from Wembley surprisingly came at the hands of serial giant-killers Wigan Athletic in 2018 and it’s understandable why City are the firm 1.65 favourites with kwiff to end their winless run at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs however, will be boosted by the returns of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski to give their attack a much-needed shot in the arm. City will undoubtedly put right their miserable record at Spurs sooner or later, but the 2.00 available on Tottenham on the double chance market feels fair and it’s worth siding with the hosts to get a replay at the very least.
Newport County v Manchester United – 4.30pm, Sunday 28th January
Newport County have enjoyed some fabulous luck with FA Cup draws in recent years and they will welcome another Premier League giant in Manchester United to Rodney Parade at the weekend.
The setting will be a far from glamorous one for Erik ten Hag’s men and it is a weapon that League Two side County have used to tremendous effect in recent years, taking the scalps of Leeds United, Leicester and Middlesbrough as well as forcing Spurs into a replay and taking Brighton to penalties.
Newport required a replay to see off National League side Eastleigh in the previous round and have seen off non-league opposition in each of their three games so far. County sit in 14th in League Two but have been much improved of late after a slow start and it’s worth noting that they have lost just twice at home in the league this season, defeating Welsh rivals Wrexham most recently.
The atmosphere will be a raucous one and the hosts will be hell bent on providing United with an uncomfortable afternoon – with 15-goal midfielder Will Evans likely to be their biggest threat.
Meanwhile, last year’s FA Cup finalists negotiated a potentially tricky third round tie at League One side Wigan relatively comfortably and they will be hoping for more of the same in South Wales. A subsequent 2-2 draw with Spurs in front of new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe once again exposed their vulnerabilities at the back, but United will be fresh after a near two week break and ought to once again see off their lower league opposition to nil here.
Blackburn Rovers v Wrexham – 7.30pm, Monday 29th January (BBC1 Wales, BBC iPlayer)
It’s highly unlikely that the town of Blackburn has ever been given the Hollywood treatment, though they will welcome Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham side to Ewood Park on Monday evening.
It’s been a disappointing season so far for Blackburn, who missed out on the play offs on goal difference last term and started the campaign brightly. Their form has fallen off a cliff however and they are beginning to edge dangerously towards the Championship relegation zone, sitting rock bottom of the form table for the last 10 games.
Rovers twice went behind to League One side Cambridge United before eventually running out as 5-2 winners and it’s likely that they will once again rely on their firepower here. They have relied heavily on Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics – who got a hat-trick in the previous round – and goals feel a given against a Wrexham side who have hit the net 54 times themselves in the league.
Wrexham’s return to the Football League has been a happy one to this point and they’re in a strong position to seal back-to-back promotions under Phil Parkinson. Their defeat of Arsenal in 1992 will undoubtedly get some airtime in the build up on the BBC but their FA Cup record this century has been relatively modest before last season, when they dumped out second tier Coventry before bowing out to Sheffield United in the fourth round.
The visitors are the third highest scorers in the fourth tier and will be confident of serving it up to Rovers, who have the leakiest defence in the Championship. Wrexham are set to be backed by a travelling support of 7,000 fans and it isn’t hard to envisage the home support getting on Blackburn’s back if they start slowly. There’s every chance that this could go the distance and Wrexham makes plenty of appeal at odds against on the double chance market.
FA Cup 4th Round Betting Selections
– Back Spurs or draw (Double Chance) in Tottenham v Manchester City at 2.00
– Back ‘Both teams to score – no’ in Newport County v Manchester United at 1.60
– Back Wrexham or draw (Double Chance) in Blackburn Rovers v Wrexham at 2.05
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By Nick Seddon
