Man City are one of the big names that are still in the competition but I wouldn’t say that this year’s FA Cup is theirs to lose overall, but it certainly is in the next round against Plymouth at home. After that, I don’t think that City would fancy coming up to Newcastle in the quarter final.
I would think that any team that’s left in the competition will all think that maybe this could be their year. At this stage, if they can get through this weekend then they might just start thinking ‘maybe we’ve got a chance’, with a favourable home draw in the quarter finals.
City won against Spurs, but that doesn’t mean they’re suddenly back to their best. We’ve still got Villa left in the competition, Forest, Newcastle and Bournemouth as well are all still in the fight.
With the season that Bournemouth are having and Villa as well, it’s all still to play for. It’s a really open competition.
Aston Villa vs Cardiff
I’d have to go for Villa, it’s a really good draw for them – at this stage, if you’ve got a home draw then you’re delighted. If you’ve got a home draw against a ‘lesser’ opposition then you’ll absolutely take that.Villa are going really well in the Champions League and have got a really good chance of getting through here. It’s a favourable home draw and I’ll have to say Aston Villa. Prediction: Aston Villa win
Crystal Palace vs Millwall
Palace beat Aston Villa in midweek, they were so strong in forward positions which is why I fancy them again. They’ll have the bit between their teeth and be full of confidence. With the form that Jean-Phillippe Mateta is in and Ebere Eze back in the team then again I would have to fancy Palace. Prediction: Palace win
Preston vs Burnley
Burnley are in this position now in the Championship where the lack of goals they’ve conceded is unbelievable, and there’s a real chance they might not even get promoted automatically! It’s a tough one – they simply don’t concede goals! I’m going to back Burnley in a scrappy away win. It might be a long afternoon for spectators though! Prediction: Burnley win
Bournemouth vs Wolves
I think that Bournemouth will take it. Home form is important at this stage in the FA Cup. Wolves probably have bigger things to concentrate on, in terms of staying in the Premier League. They’ve got a decent gap now to the bottom three but I still think that, given their choice, they would rather be in the Premier League than staying in the FA Cup. Prediction: Bournemouth win
Man City vs Plymouth
There is no chance of an upset here – Plymouth had their day in the sun against Liverpool, which was an unbelievably thoroughly deserved result at home. City away will be a lot tougher for them. They’ve given us lots of headlines this season but it’s not going any further than this weekend. Prediction: Man City win
Newcastle vs Brighton
This is a tough one to call. Brighton have found some great form, even in midweek it was another really impressive result against Bournemouth. Newcastle were really flat in the league against Liverpool at Anfield, which is always a tough place to go, but they didn’t deserve to get anything out of the game. However, Newcastle are at home and might just have enough, even with one eye on the Carabao Cup final. I think they’ll bounce back. Prediction: Newcastle win
Man United vs Fulham
This is a tough one to call. I’ll be there at Old Trafford doing co-commentary live on the BBC. I watched the Man Utd game for the first-half against Ipswich and once again they were all over the place. This game is a tough one to call. It will be a long afternoon – I’m not impressed with Man United, they’re in a really tough situation at the moment, so I’m going to go for an away win. Prediction: Fulham win
Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich
Nottingham Forest will have enough to beat Ipswich on Monday night. Even when Ipswich got back to 2-2 vs United, against ten men they couldn’t find enough to get through, so I’m going for a Forest win here, particularly at home. Prediction: Nottingham Forest win
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