FA CUP FOURTH ROUND: SATURDAY FIXTURES

Written by: Floyd Nkanyane

The FA Cup fourth round continues today with an exciting slate of matches following Manchester United’s dramatic victory over Leicester City yesterday. The schedule features several intriguing matchups across different timeslots, with several Premier League sides facing potential upsets.

Premier League Champions Face Historic Clash

The day begins with a fascinating historical matchup as Manchester City visits Leyton Orient for the first time since 1966. City enters the fixture in formidable form, having won their last 17 FA Cup matches against lower-division teams with an impressive aggregate score of 67-8. This record stands as the longest winning run by a top-flight team against lower-division opponents, recently surpassing Arsenal’s 16-game streak. For Leyton Orient, this marks their first fourth-round appearance since 2010-11, adding extra significance to the occasion.

Traditional Rivalries and First-Time Meetings

Leeds United hosts Millwall in what will remarkably be their first-ever FA Cup encounter, despite their long history of competition in other tournaments. Leeds holds a strong home record against Millwall, winning eight of their last nine home games across all competitions. Leeds could achieve the notable feat of reaching the fifth round for the third consecutive season, matching their achievement rate of the previous 22 seasons combined.

Premier League Battles

The evening features several all-Premier League clashes, including Everton versus Bournemouth at Goodison Park. Despite Bournemouth holding recent momentum with victories in both Premier League meetings this season, history favors Everton in FA Cup encounters, having eliminated the Cherries in their two previous cup meetings (1937 and 2016).

Toon Army in Birmingham

Newcastle United, seeking consecutive fifth-round appearances for the first time since 2006, faces Birmingham City. This fixture carries particular intrigue given Newcastle’s vulnerability in cup competitions – they’ve been eliminated by lower-division sides 32 times while a top-flight club, second only to Everton’s 42 such eliminations.

Chelsea on the Scout

The day concludes with a compelling matchup between Brighton and Chelsea at the Falmer Stadium. Chelsea brings an impressive fourth-round record, having progressed from 25 of their last 27 ties at this stage. However, Brighton has shown strong cup form since their Premier League promotion, winning five of their six fourth-round ties.

Complete Schedule for Saturday:

14:15 – Leyton Orient vs Manchester City

14:15 – Leeds United vs Millwall

17:00 – Multiple matches including Everton vs Bournemouth and several other fixtures

19:45 – Birmingham vs Newcastle

22:00 – Brighton vs Chelsea

Players to Watch

The fixtures feature several in-form players in cup competitions, including Manchester City’s Jérémy Doku, who has contributed to six goals in seven FA Cup appearances, and Brighton’s Georginio Rutter, who has been involved in four goals in his last two cup appearances despite limited playing time.

This round of fixtures presents an intriguing mix of historical rivalries, potential giant-killings, and Premier League clashes, following yesterday’s dramatic opener where Manchester United secured a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Leicester City. The results of today’s matches will significantly shape the competition’s landscape as teams vie for a place in the fifth round.