Cheltenham face the unenviable task of trying to prevent Manchester City from rattling off a 10th straight victory in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash. The visitors lifted this trophy two years ago and reached the semis last term, so it is safe to assume Pep Guardiola will be taking the tie seriously.
Chorley stunned a Covid-hit Derby in round three of the FA Cup but are now expected to be brought back down to earth by Wolves at Victory Park. Wanderers boss Nuno Espirito Santo has shown plenty of respect for this competition and will be keen to advance after a poor run of Premier League results.
Frank Lampard’s job could be on the line when Chelsea host Luton in the FA Cup and we’re backing the Blues to fight for their manager’s future. The Hatters are a likeable outfit who have done better than expected since moving up to the Championship, but they were beaten 3-0 by Man Utd in the EFL Cup.
West Ham are well placed to have a good crack at the FA Cup this season following some solid Premier League results and should brush aside Stockport. Hammers boss David Moyes reached the final of this competition back in 2009 with Everton and three other cup semis, so he does take knockout events seriously.
Tottenham cruised through to the EFL Cup final this week and should make light work of Merseyside minnows Marine in round three of the FA Cup. Jose Mourinho is not the type of manager to get caught up in the romance of this tie and a clinical performance is expected from Spurs.
Crawley are in fine form in League Two and will not be short of confidence as they look to cause an FA Cup upset by beating Leeds. The Red Devils have climbed into the play-off places thanks to an eight-match unbeaten run but we’re not convinced they have the quality to get past Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
Newport have a proud history of FA Cup upsets in recent years and are backed to give Brighton a tough work-out at Rodney Parade. In the last few seasons, County have beaten Leeds and Leicester in Wales in this competition, as well as earning a replay against Tottenham.
Chorley may be missing out on a meeting with Wayne Rooney but now have a realistic shot at reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup. A Covid-19 outbreak at Derby this week means the entire first-team squad and coaching staff are self-isolating, with their squad set to feature Under-23 and Under-18 players.
Leicester are hot favourites to wrap up first place in Europa League Group G by seeing off already-eliminated AEK Athens at King Power Stadium. The Foxes have already brushed aside Braga 4-0 and Zorya 3-0 on home turf and are unbeaten in their last eight European matches at this venue.
Celtic are enduring a miserable season and will crash out of the Europa League regardless of how they get on in their final match in Group H. The Hoops have only picked up one point from their first five games and have nothing but pride to play for, although Neil Lennon will be desperate to ease his job worries.
Manchester City have already won their Champions League group and Pep Guardiola will rotate his squad for the visit of Marseille. City have already picked up 13 points from their first five matches, with last week’s goalless draw at Porto ensuring there is nothing at stake for the hosts in their final match.
Tottenham have already qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League but top spot in Group J is up for grabs when they host Royal Antwerp. However, only a win for Spurs will ensure they finish first and avoid the sides which will drop into the competition from the Champions League.
Rangers are fancied to wrap up top spot in Europa League Group D by winning in Poland against Lech Poznan, who are already out of contention for the knockout rounds. Steven Gerrard will be keen to progress as pool winners and avoid facing a team dropping down from the Champions League in the last 32.
Arsenal are already through as Europa League Group B winners and are Dundalk consigned to finishing bottom following five straight defeats. However, the Irish outfit do still have a point to prove here, with the Gunners being the only team to nil them in the pool so far.