A mix of English fixtures this weekend, with four games in the FA Cup and four in the Premier League. Let’s predict them all. Click or swipe through for each match.
FA Cup
Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 1: Saturday, 4.15pm UAE
Really, this all comes down to whether City can score. With an important Champions League game at Monaco coming up next week, manager Pep Guardiola is likely to do some a bit of squad rotation. But it is a tactic that has failed twice recently — a 0-0 FA Cup draw at Huddersfield and a 0-0 Premier League draw with Stoke. City don’t have incredible depth so expect a fairly strong side and a tight win against a goal-shy Middlesbrough side.
Arsenal 6 Lincoln City 0, Saturday, 9.30pm
We’re set for one of those games where the gulf between Premier League and the fifth tier will really become evident. Lincoln played brilliantly in beating Brighton — who are likely to be a Premier League side next season — and Burnley to make it this far. But they are coming up against an angry Arsenal side who need to put in a big performance for their under-pressure manager Arsene Wenger, after a second consecutive 5-1 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich. And, even if Alexis Sanchez does not play, Arsenal have loads of goalscoring threats.
Tottenham 3 Millwall 0: Sunday, 6pm
There could be a little bit of a feisty nature to this game, being a London derby, but there is no real risk of Tottenham losing. They’ve just won nine league games in a row and have England’s hottest striker. Harry Kane has eight goals in his last three domestic games and is highly likely to net again here. With Tottenham out of Europe, there’s no real reason for manager Mauricio Pochettino to rotate any of his players, so they will field a full-strength side and get a comfortable victory.
Chelsea 0 Manchester United 1: Monday, 11.45pm
United are going to cause the shock of the round and this is why (because this prediction goes against most logic): Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s absence will help United in this instance. He has been brilliant but his immobility in the league game at Stamford Bridge, when United lost 4-0, was an issue. With Marcus Rashford up front, United can soak up pressure with nine men behind the ball and hit on the break. They have some of the fastest forwards around — Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard — and can cause a surprise.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Bournemouth 2 West Ham 3: Saturday, 7pm
Brace yourselves for a thriller. Despite keeping Manchester United to one goal last week at Old Trafford, Bournemouth’s defence did not fill their fans with any confidence. West Ham’s Andy Carroll will score here and it would not be a surprise if he gets two or three — providing his team play to his strengths and send enough crosses in. Michail Antonio will be back and that combination up front will help the visitors come out on top of a high-scoring encounter.
Everton 0 West Brom 0: Saturday, 7pm
Tip for fantasy football players out there — avoid Romelu Lukaku this week. West Brom have suffered a couple of thrashings this season on the road against bigger clubs — most notably a 4-0 loss at Spurs — but they can frustrate Everton here. Tony Pulis will be happy with a point and Everton aren’t the great team at breaking stubborn sides down.
Hull 2 Swansea 0: Saturday, 7pm
It’s now four games since Hull’s fantastic 2-0 win over Liverpool and they need another result. They are four points from safety at the bottom of the table and defeat here would be a massive blow as Leicester, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Sunderland — the teams around them — would have a game in hand. If they can keep in-form Fernando Llorente at bay then Hull can make the most of home advantage and get three points here.
Liverpool 2 Burnley 0: Sunday, 8pm
Liverpool were brilliant in the 3-1 win over Arsenal last week and Jurgen Klopp’s side now need to find the consistency that he has admitted is missing. That makes Burnley a great team to play against. They have just two draws on the road and Anfield isn’t the sort of place you’d expect that record to change. Adam Lallana was fantastic in the Arsenal game and Liverpool will hope his form continues.
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