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Fourth round FA Cup preview

David Nugent in Editorial, FA Cup, General Soccer News 25 Jan 2013

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Can non-league Luton cause another shock in the  FA Cup this weekend?

Can non-league Luton cause another shock in the FA Cup this weekend?

This weekend sees the fourth round of the FA Cup take place. One of the ties of the round sees non-league club Macclesfield host Premier League strugglers Wigan at the Moss Rose Ground.

The Blue Square Premier League side disposed of Championship leaders Cardiff in the third round and will be looking for another big scalp.

The minnows are in decent form having won four games out of their last six games in all competitions.

The visitors are currently second from bottom in the top flight and have won just twice in their last six games. This tie could be a major banana skin for Roberto Martinez’s side.

Another non-league side hoping to cause a shock in the fourth round are Luton Town, who visit Premier League outfit Norwich this weekend. The home side have struggled in the top flight this season and their only victory in their last six games came in the last round at Championship Peterborough.

The Hatters are on a patchy run of form, but got through to the fourth round of the cup with a 1-0 victory over Championship side Wolves. Luton are sixth in the Blue Square Premier league after starting their campaign brightly, but recent inconsistency has hampered their challenge for promotion.

Premier League Reading host promotion chasing League One team Sheffield United at the Madejski Stadium. The Royals are on a really good run of form which has seen Brian McDermott’s side win their last three games in all competitions.

The visitors early season form has tailed off slightly in recent weeks, as the Blades have claimed just one victory in their last six games. However, boss Danny Wilson will be confident that his side can cause a shock in Berkshire.

One of the all Premier League ties sees Manchester United host out-of-form Fulham at Old Trafford. The league leaders were stunned as Tottenham scored an injury-time equaliser to claim a point last weekend.

However this weekend’s visitors are on a poor run of form that has saw the Cottagers drop down to 14th place in the top flight. Martin Jol’s team have claimed just three wins in their last 16 games in all competitions. The visitors may see this game as a welcome break from their league campaign.

In one of the early kick-offs on Sunday Championship Leeds host Premier League Tottenham at Elland Road. The Whites are currently in midtable in the second tier and knocked out fellow Championship side Birmingham in the last round.

Tottenham have enjoyed a superb season under Portuguese boss Andre Villas-Boas and will travel to Yorkshire in good heart after rescuing a last-gasp point against Manchester United last weekend. Spurs will be confident of progression against their Championship opponents.

Elsewhere, League One Oldham host Premier League Liverpool at Boundary Park on Sunday. The home side are struggling in League One this season and are close to the relegation zone. Their only win in their last six games came at Championship Nottingham Forest in the third round.

In contrast the Reds are one of the form teams in the top flight. Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez are already looking like a good strike partnership and the pair will be hoping to score the goals that help their team avoid an upset.

Busy

These are just some of the ties taking place in the fourth round this weekend. We will have a review of all the best action from Saturday’s games on Sunday.

What is the biggest tie in the fourth round of the FA Cup?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Nugent


David is a freelance football writer with nearly a decade of experience writing about the beautiful game. The experienced writer has written for over a dozen websites and also an international soccer magazine offline.
Arguably his best work has come as an editorial writer for Soccernews, sharing his good, bad and ugly opinions on the world’s favourite sport. During David’s writing career he has written editorials, betting previews, match previews, banter, news and opinion pieces.

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