FA Cup 4th round: Man Utd and Liverpool to secure comfortable wins

The third round of the FA Cup proved that the famous old competition has not lost its capacity to surprise.

Nottingham Forest overcame Arsenal 1-0 at home but the outstanding shock of the round was Newcastle's defeat at home to League One outfit Cambridge United.

Thirteen Premier League clubs are left standing ahead of the fourth round and are hoping to take another step closer to a trip to Wembley.

Are there any major shocks in store?

Manchester United v Middlesbrough

Manchester United showed a willingness to treat the FA Cup seriously this season as they defeated Aston Villa 1-0 in the previous round of the competition. Now they will seek to generate more positive headlines when they play host to Championship side Middlesbrough.

The Red Devils have not necessarily seen a significant improvement under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, with their victories typically coming by fine margins.

However, the latest international break should have allowed the squad time to tune up to what the German expects from them tactically. No significant changes in the squad should help them in this regard, too.

Their opponents, meanwhile, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn in their last away trip. In Folarin Balogun and Aaron Connolly, they have added exciting attacking options on loan from Arsenal and Brighton respectively, but they will not have enough to seriously trouble their hosts.

Recommended bet: Man Utd -1.5 @ 1.95

Will Rangnick ring the changes against Boro?

Manchester City v Fulham

While there will be few tips of a cup upset at the Etihad Stadium, there is a high degree in intrigue in a game that pits the Premier League leaders against their compatriots from the Championship.

City are likely to rotate their squad for the match, particularly as they have a midweek encounter with Brentford that they will be eager to win after seeing their lengthy winning run halted by Southampton before the international break.

That could be all the invitation that a prolific Fulham side need to find the net. After all, the Cottagers have scored 23 goals in their five league matches in 2022 and will be eager to give the Premier League champions a real run for their money.

Swindon did it in the previous round, why can’t Fulham?

Recommended bet: Both teams to score: Yes @ 1.97

Tottenham v Brighton

Tottenham deserve their favouritism over Brighton ahead of Sunday’s meeting. After all, they have been formidable at home under Antonio Conte, who has overseen five wins and a draw in seven matches since taking charge in the autumn.

Spurs’ recent form does not look too smart, with three defeats in their last five, though all of those losses came against Chelsea, two of which were in the EFL Cup.

While there is a sense that Tottenham are a team gaining momentum, Brighton have lost some of theirs lately. They have drawn their last four matches through 90 minutes and were held by West Brom before winning through in extra-time in the previous round.

Since winning promotion to the Premier League, they have lost all of their four trips to Tottenham, and the signs do not point to that trend changing.

Recommended bet: Tottenham @ 1.94

Liverpool v Cardiff

Expect Liverpool to be their typically remorseless selves when they face Cardiff in the FA Cup. Jurgen Klopp showed in the previous round against Shrewsbury that he is not afraid to shake up his options in this competition, but with four days before the Reds are back in action, the changes are unlikely to be so extensive this time around.

At Anfield they have been particularly awesome. In the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, the Reds have won 11 of their 14 games. Of those victories, nine have come by at least two goals.

Cardiff have run into some more impressive form in the Championship, easing out of the relegation zone thanks to back-to-back wins, but they will be no match for Liverpool on Sunday.

With the odds on the handicap market looking tight, betting on plenty goals could be the best option.

Recommended bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.55