The FA Cup has always been a magical competition. Yes, I know this is a cliché but it’s completely true. Every season we have a different magical and motivational story that makes the FA Cup magic. The FA Cup without magic is not the same, but don’t worry, this season won’t be different and surely we’ll see a FA Cup story.
Last season was remarkable in this matter as we’ve seen two non-league teams reaching the round of 16. Sutton United, a club based in South London and playing in the National League, were knocked out by Arsenal after losing 2-0 in their own ground, but their journey before playing the Premier League giants is quite impressive. In the third round they knocked out AFC Wimbledon in the replay, winning 3-1 away. In the fourth round they won against another high division club after beating Leeds.
This match was and will be forever marked by a rather unusual incident. Sutton goalkeeper Wayne Shaw was caught by a camera while eating a pie in Sutton’s bench. Of course, Shaw was sacked by the club after breaching FA’s betting rules but it doesn’t make the incident less excepcional.
The biggest story of the FA Cup was indeed Lincoln City. The now League Two was fighting for promotion to the Football League and made an impressive and unforgettable journey to the quarter-finals. On their way to making the 6th round, they beat two Championship teams in Ipswich and Brighton, before winning away at Premier League Burnley. These three wins got them a trip to the Emirates but once again, they weren’t able to cope with the talent in Arsenal’s disposal.
Anyway, this season will surely not be different and we’ll see some surprises here and there. Despite this season’s fourth round not having any non-league clubs, it’s also clear that there are underdogs playing against pretty big opposition looking to cause some upset. Now we take a look at four games that might end up having a surprising ending.
Yeovil Town v Manchester United
This is probably the most interesting game of this whole round. This has everything to be a special tie. A League Two club with an inspirational story against one of the biggest clubs in the world. It sounds like something else.
Yeovil’s manager Darren Way had his playing career ended after a terrible car accident nearly 10 years ago and since then, he has been involved with the managerial scenario. Way was part of Yeovil’s coaching team that won promotion to the Championship in 2013 and was appointed as manager in 2015.
Since Way’s appointment, Yeovil hasn’t been able to fight for promotion but the club sees this tie as the perfect opportunity to put them back in the picture, remind people they are still here. Way has put images of Wembley and Wayne Rooney all over the club’s training ground and also hired a football pyschologist to help the players mentally in the build-up for this game.
Way also have a soft place for Manchester United in his heart. After the car accident he suffered, Yeovil gave Way a testimonial match against an United XI with Sir Alex Ferguson on the stands, a man that has been helping Way since his career ended. Sir Alex along with John Terry helped the club prepare for this game with conference calls, trying to give Yeovil an insight of what Manchester United will do.
On the other hand, Manchester United can see this opportunity as the right time to give a debut to new signing Alexis Sanchez, after his swap move from Arsenal. Mourinho isn’t usually the type of guy who’s victim of an upset and he will do everything he can to win this game. I expect Manchester United to put a strong team to play at Huish Park, something that can be really special for Yeovil’s players and fans.
Notts County v Swansea City
This tie will not look appealling to many people but somehow it caught my eye. Again, a League Two club against a Premier League one. Notts County are flying high in the fourth tier, sitting in 2nd at the table. Swansea, however, are bottom of the Premier League despite winning against Liverpool on Monday. Two teams in opposite ends of the table in their respective leagues. Sounds good.
Notts County have a really nice history, being the oldest professional club in existence and also playing the opening match of the Juventus Stadium. The reason for playing Juventus is because the Italian’s shirts are based on the white and black stripes of Notts County.
The Nottingham club are now managed by former West Ham and Bolton midfielder Kevin Nolan. He was appointed as player/manager in January 2017 and guided the club to a safe that season and is hoping to get promoted in this one.
This is the perfect opportunity for Nolan to show his managerial talent. When a League Two club play against Premier League opposition, they always have something to prove, show that football is game that everything can happen and Nolan is hoping to take this opportunity to prove himself in the dugout.
The Magpies have a few well known names in their squad and this can help them cause a big upset in this fixture. The most notable name is former Manchester United and England international Alan Smith, who has been playing at the club since 2014. Other names include former Newcastle and Crystal Palace striker Shola Ameobi, who was Nolan’s teammate at Tyneside and Jorge Grant, who’s on loan from rival Nottingham Forest and is having a terrific season, scoring 14 goals in 24 appearances.
This game is surely one to look for.
Peterborough United v Leicester City
A tie between a League One and Premier League clubs, and both have a nice FA Cup history. Leicester never won the competition, being runners-up four times and Claude Puel is hoping to change that as soon as possible.
A good cup would do a whole lot of good to Leicester, a club that since winning the Premier League in 2016 has been inconsistent, having three managers during this period. Leicester stand a chance of winning the FA Cup and they should do everything to avoid a possible surprise in this tie.
Peterborough, on the other hand, reached the quarter-finals once in the 1963/64 season, their furthest run in the FA Cup. In that year, they knocked out Arsenal and Swansea City before falling against Chelsea.
To reach the fourth round of this year’s competition, The Posh knocked out Aston Villa at Villa Park, scoring two goals in the dying embers of the match. Talking about the opposition, Leicester managed to knock out Jamie Vardy’s former club Fleetwood Town after a replay at King Power Stadium.
Something that really stands out at Peterborough is the youth talent available at the club. The most notable one is the Portuguese midfielder Leonardo da Silva Lopes, who has drawn comparisions to George Best by Peterborough’s director of football Barry Fry. Other quality players include striker Jack Mariott, who has scored 23 goals this season, and former Newcastle attacker Marcus Maddison, who has scored nine goals and contributed to 20 assists this season.
Cardiff City v Manchester City
Lastly, it’s Cardiff taking Premier League leaders Manchester City. City has been the victim of the FA Cup magic in several ocasions, most notably against Wigan in 2013 final. At that time, Wigan were fighting against relegation in the Premier League and won their first FA Cup with a stoppage time goal from Ben Watson.
This time, however, City will be likely to avoid another disappointment, having lost just one game in their domestic season.
As for Cardiff, they are on a terrific rise under Neil Warnock. Since his appointment in October 2016, Cardiff managed to survive comfortably in the Championship and are fighting for promotion this season, sitting 3rd in the table, two points behind 2nd placed Derby County.
Cardiff has a nice record in the FA Cup, being winners in 1928 and reaching the finals in 1925 and 2008, in the last occasion losing 1-0 against Portsmouth.
Manchester City are hungry for success and they will go after every chance to get it. Yes, this can be a tricky fixture for them, especially against an experienced manager like Neil Warnock, but they will do everything they can to get more and more success.
As for Cardiff, they will take this fixture seriously enough to make it hard for Manchester City. They have to show they are good enough for the Premier League, especially with a promotion on the cards for the Bluebirds.
The Final Whistle 