The FA Cup | 5th Round Preview

Burnley vs. Lincoln City

The 5th-tier club Lincoln City have been outstanding in the competition so far. The Imps started from the 4th qualifying round, finishing with a 0-0 draw against Guiseley. However, they made it to the next round after a victory in the replay match. In the 1st round, Lincoln City won against Altrincham 2-1, which was followed by a 3-2 victory against Oldham Athletic. Then, the real tests came for The Imps. They recorded a 2-2 draw in their visit to Ipswich and in the replay, they eliminated The Tractor Boys. And when everybody thought that Lincoln City will leave the competition, The Imps smashed one of the strongest teams in The Championship – Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1!

With the visit to one of the best hosts in The Premier League – Burnley, I think the fairy tale for Lincoln will come to an end. The Clarets have only lost 3 of 16 competitive home matches this season. They had no difficulties to beat Sunderland and Bristol City in the previous 2 rounds of the competition. The Sean Dyche’s players will surely proceed to the next round!

Middlesbrough vs. Oxford United

The Boro have recently been very good at home. They lost only 1 of their last 7 competitive matches at The Riverside Stadium. On the other hand, the League 1 side Oxford United have been really impressive against Newcastle United, winning 3-0 against The Magpies in the previous round.

However, this is a great chance for Middlesbrough to make a breakthrough in The FA Cup, as they haven’t reached quarterfinals of the competition since 2009. The Boro have never won this cup, as their best achievement is the second place in 1997. Can they do something significant? The path goes through Oxford United.

Huddersfield Town vs. Manchester City

Huddesfield have surprised everybody with their strong performance in The Championship this campaign. The Terriers are lying in 3rd place in the standings, just 5 points behind the leaders Newcastle United. The German head coach David Wagner has had a great impact on the team, as Huddersfield Town have only lost 8 competitive games this season. For sure, The Terriers’ main task is winning a promotion to The Premier League, but this doesn’t detain their good results in The FA Cup.

The Terriers recorded 2 consecutive victories in the competition, smashing Port Vale and Rochdale 4-0! In addition, I don’t think The Citizens will be 100% concentrated on this game, as they will play in The Champions League against the best attack in Europe – Monaco, just a couple of days later. In my opinion, Josep Guardiola will rotate his starting lineup and it’s possible Huddesfield Town win the game!

Millwall vs. Leicester City

The performance on the domestic competitions isn’t in Leicester City’s priorities at the moment. The Foxes are looking forward to their first participation in The Champions League Round of 16 against Sevilla, which I think won’t be very successful… So, Claudio Ranieri will try to keep his key players fresh for the big clash against The Spaniards.

Moreover, The Lions have already eliminated 2 Premier League clubs (Bournemouth and Watford) at The Den. I think Leicester City will be their next victim!

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Chelsea

No place for surprises here! Chelsea are just too strong for The Wolves. Yes, I may have told that before Wolverhampton’s shocking victory over Liverpool, but this time the situation is different. The Blues are much more consistent than The Reds, and Antonio Conte won’t let The Wolves win the game!

Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur

The last time these two teams met, the match finished with a victory for The Spurs 3-1 at White Hart Lane in The Premier League before 3 years. Moreover, Tottenham Hotspur have always been successful when playing against Fulham – 29 wins and only 9 defeats!

The Championship side has their chances, because they will be the hosts. In addition, The Spurs have started their participation in The Europa League. At both ends, I think there will be a replay.

Blackburn Rovers vs. Manchester United

The Red Devils haven’t had lots of problems in the FA Cup so far, having eliminated Reading and Wigan after two 4-0 victories. Now, the Jose Mourinho’s players are to visit Blackburn Rovers in the 5th round.

To continue with, Blackburn’s priority is avoiding relegation. So, I think that Rovers will eventually lose the game and concentrate on the relegation battle in The Championship.

Sutton United vs. Arsenal

The biggest surprise of the competition – Sutton United are to host The Gunners! The match sounds shocking, because of the stage of the tournament! Sutton United are currently “writing their history”. The U’s managed to beat AFC Wimbledon and Leeds United in the previous two rounds of The FA Cup.

However, The Gunners are too good for the 5th-tier club! The Arsene Wenger players won’t struggle a lot at The Borough Sports Ground and will win the game!