Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The pick of fourth round matches is definitely the meeting of Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford. The traditional rivals met recently in a key Premier League clash and a renewal of hostilities so soon is a real treat for fans.
The Red Devils and the Merseysiders last met in the FA Cup back in January 2012, with Pool claiming a 2-1 home win thanks to goals from Daniel Agger and Dirk Kuyt.
This time around, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping midfielder Scott McTominay can continue the fine form he has shown in recent weeks: “We’ve always trusted our young men coming through and Scott’s one of them that we really believe has got the DNA of Man United in him, and he knows what it is to be a Man United player.
“Should he be scoring more goals? We’ve said that to him so many times! He’s strong, he’s quick, he can leap, [he has] good timing, so he should get more goals.”
Elsewhere, one of the most ‘romantic’ ties sees League Two’s Cheltenham Town host Premier League heavyweights Manchester City. Not only is it a ‘David v Goliath’ clash, but City fans even helped raise funds for Cheltenham by buying ‘virtual tickets’ for what is arguably the most high profile game ever at (an empty) Jonny-Rocks Stadium.
“There is a real sense of togetherness from both sets of supporters and Man City fans have been amazing as they were in a similar situation a few years back,” said campaign organiser James Robinson.
Other notable clashes include non-league Chorley hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur visiting Wycombe Wanderers and looking to repeat their ruthless dispatching of Marine from the previous round, as well as an intriguing clash between Brentford and Leicester City – with the former team looking likely to find themselves in the Premier League come the start of next season.
“Our attitude, hard work and togetherness has been bang-on,” said Bees manager Thomas Frank. “We have shown a lot of character – we are confident, but humble.”
FA Cup broadcast
Friday 22 January
22:45: Chorley v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Saturday 23 January
15:15: Southampton v Arsenal
18:00: West Ham United v Doncaster Rovers
18:00: Brighton v Blackpool
18:00: Sheffield United v Plymouth Argyle
18:00: Swansea City v Nottingham Forest
18:00: Barnsley v Norwich City
20:30: Cheltenham Town v Manchester City
Sunday 24 January
15:00: Chelsea v Luton Town
17:30: Fulham v Burnley
17:30: Brentford v Leicester City
20:30: Manchester United v Liverpool
23:00: Everton v Sheffield Wednesday
Monday 25 January
22:45: Wycombe Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur