Five of the best FA Cup fourth-round ties this weekend | OneFootball

The FA Cup fourth-round ties take place this weekend with teams looking to get one step closer to the final at Wembley.

Just 32 teams remain in the competition and that number will be halved over the course of the next few days.

From potential upsets to heavyweights of English football battling it out, this round has certainly got a few fixtures to savour.

Five of the best FA Cup fourth-round ties this weekend

Leyton Orient vs Manchester City

Saturday lunchtime’s offering is a tantalising clash between League One promotion chasers Leyton Orient and seven-time winners Manchester City.

The hosts pride themselves on defensive stability having only conceded 25 times in 28 league games. But their resolve will be tested by one of Europe’s most devastating offences.

Orient boast the likes of Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley, both on loan from Tottenham. Despite being a goalkeeper, the latter has already scored in the competition this season.

The Irish stopper headed in a 99th-minute equaliser in the second round against Oldham. More melodrama ensued in extra time as Daniel Agyei missed a penalty before atoning for his error in the 121st minute to claim the winner. No doubt the Orient fans will still be catching their breath after that tie.

Richie Wellens and his players will sense vulnerability in this City side. The reigning Premier League champions don’t look as formidable as they have done over the last decade.

That being said, last year’s finalists absolutely battered Salford 8-0 in the last round with James McAtee helping himself to a hat-trick.

The trip to the capital should be a good opportunity for Pep Guardiola to test some of his new recruits. There’s particular excitement surrounding Brazilian defensive prospect Vitor Reis and deadline-day signing Nico Gonzalez.

Birmingham City vs Newcastle United

League One leaders Birmingham City welcome Newcastle United to St. Andrews this Saturday.

The Magpies enter the fourth round tie with bucket loads of momentum having made the Carabao Cup final in midweek.

Eddie Howe’s team will consider themselves knockout specialists after winning all six of their cup games this campaign. They survived an early scare from League Two outfit Bromley in the last round to win 3-1 at St James’ Park.

Birmingham are managed by Chris Davies, who was Ange Postecoglou’s assistant at Tottenham last season.

The Blues are enjoying a sensational streak of invincibility. They haven’t been conquered in 18 matches, stretching all the way back to November.

However, to advance into the fifth round, Birmingham will have to eliminate top-flight opposition, something they have failed to do in their last 10 attempts.

Blackburn Rovers vs Wolves

Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers are two of English football’s most historic clubs.

John Eustace’s Rovers have won the FA Cup on six occasions – but it’s been almost a century since the last instance. Vitor Pereira’s Wolves have lifted the trophy four times with the last triumph in 1960.

In fact, that final in 1960 was the last time the two sides met in this competition with Wolves winning 3-0 at the Empire Stadium.

Blackburn have faced a number of Premier League opponents in recent years including West Ham, Leicester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United.

They were a couple of kicks away from making consecutive quarter-finals last year but lost to Newcastle in a penalty shootout.

Wolves have only succeeded three times away from Molineux this campaign. One of those wins came against Bristol City in the previous round.

Plymouth Argyle vs Liverpool

Premier League leaders and Carabao Cup finalists Liverpool make the almost 600-mile round trip to face Plymouth Argyle this Sunday.

Argyle remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship table despite beating West Bromwich Albion last weekend.

Miron Muslic’s team recorded the pick of the upsets last round. They shockingly knocked out Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium with an old-fashioned ‘smash and grab’ performance (pardon the cliches, it’s what the FA Cup is all about).

Prior to that surprising result, the Premier League club had only been defeated twice at home all season.

However, the scorer of the spectacular winner that day, Morgan Whittaker, has since moved onto pastures new by signing for Middlesbrough.

It’s still possible for Liverpool to attain the quadruple this term after reaching the Carabao Cup final on Thursday. If Arne Slot manages to complete the feat, he would automatically go down as one of the finest tacticians to grace these shores. Jurgen Klopp who?

Doncaster Rovers vs Crystal Palace

Doncaster Rovers will be looking to stage this year’s ‘giant-killing’ by overcoming Premier League regulars Crystal Palace.

Rovers are the lowest-ranked club currently in the competition as they sit in second position in League Two. There are 56 places between them and the Eagles.

Grant McCann’s side have already knocked Barrow, Kettering Town and Hull City out of football’s oldest cup competition. They held their nerve to win a penalty shootout against the latter in the previous round.

Doncaster are aiming to reach the fifth round for only the second time in 68 years. The only other time they have reached the last 16 they were dumped out of the competition by Palace in 2019. Revenge will undoubtedly be in the air in Yorkshire.

Oliver Glasner and his players booked their tie against Doncaster by narrowly edging out Stockport County at Selhurst Park. They have never won the cup – or a major trophy – despite making the final in 1990 and 2016. The latter game brought an iconic celebration from Alan Pardew but ultimately resulted in 10-player Manchester United lifting the trophy after extra time drama.

The clash at the Eco-Power Stadium will be held on Monday night and is the final instalment of the fourth round.

Read – Five things to look out for in the FA Cup fourth round

See more – The most expensive transfers of the winter window

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