Tony Kelshaw 
Qatar have been a revelation at the 2019 Asian Cup but Japan have the pedigree to ensure their fairytale run to the final does not have a happy ending. The Samurai Blue have lifted this trophy four times in the last seven renewals, coming out on top each time they have reached the decider.
Preston do not have a good record against Derby but look well placed to buck that trend after a couple of cracking Championship victories. The Rams prevailed 2-0 at Pride Park back in August and have won at Deepdale for the past three seasons, but will face a red-hot North End outfit this Friday.
The Hive will be buzzing for Monday’s FA Cup clash between Barnet and Brentford, not least because both teams are nicknamed the Bees! Non-league Barnet will welcome a £150,000 fee for hosting this televised tie and are fancied to further boost their coffers by earning a replay at Griffin Park.
Huddersfield have a mountain to climb to stay up but Jan Siewert’s arrival may give them a fresh impetus ahead of entertaining Everton. The Toffees have been suffering from travel sickness of late, losing their last two Premier League away games and Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Millwall.
Arsenal suffered a disappointing FA Cup exit when hosting Manchester United but can bounce back with a Premier League triumph over Cardiff. The Gunners had previously impressed when beating Chelsea in this competition, whereas the Bluebirds are languishing in the bottom three.
Sheffield Wednesday will take a big travelling support for Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Chelsea and have vowed to “give it a go” against the holders. The Owls do not have a good recent record in this event but their interest seems to have been rejuvenated by a third-round replay win at Luton.
West Ham have already beaten AFC Wimbledon away in the EFL Cup this season and we see no reason for a different result when they meet in the FA Cup. The Dons did have Rod McDonald sent off after 18 minutes when leading, but a much-changed Hammers line-up still ran out worthy 3-1 winners.
Millwall have generally been playing well in the Championship of late and are fancied to give Everton a tough test in the FA Cup. Toffees boss Marco Silva looks to be taking this competition seriously after fielding a strong team in the last round, so a close encounter could be on the cards at The Den.
Derby have enjoyed some memorable moments in knockout matches this term and are fancied to prove a class apart from Accrington in the FA Cup. The Rams beat Southampton on penalties in the last round and knocked Manchester United out of the EFL Cup earlier in the season.
Burton will only be playing for pride when hosting Manchester City in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final but that may be enough to spur them on to be competitive. The visitors look sure to make a number of changes from the side which romped to a 9-0 win in the opening encounter.
West Brom are going through a little rocky patch but the Trueform rating they received for a 4-0 win at Rotherham shows they have the scope to outclass Bolton. Wanderers have lost 12 of their last 17 Championship matches and are odds-on to be relegated, so the Baggies can get back on track.
Huddersfield caretaker boss Mark Hudson faces a baptism of fire when Premier League champions Manchester City visit John Smith’s Stadium on Sunday. Under-23 coach Hudson will fill the void left by David Wagner’s shock departure and could hardly have been handed a more daunting first test.
Newcastle enjoyed a confidence-boosting FA Cup win at Blackburn in midweek and can build on that by beating Cardiff in the Premier League. The Magpies are currently third from bottom in the table, a point behind the Bluebirds, but boast a more talented squad in our book.
Adrien Broner is nicknamed ‘The Problem’ and is rated a value bet to prove just that for Manny Pacquiao when they meet in Las Vegas for the WBA welterweight title. The American held this belt for six months back in 2013 and has every chance of getting it back if fully focused on the task in hand.