Five things to look out for in this weekend's FA Cup Fourth Round

The Premier League takes a break this weekend, as for those involved, it's FA Cup Fourth Round time, with the game's oldest cup competition taking centre stage. 

Fourteen top flight teams remain after a Third Round that saw one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history, as well as early exits for both Manchester United and Tottenham. 

With games spread across four days, here are five things to watch out for in an exciting round of fixtures.

 

Another Manchester City goal glut? 

Manchester City hit the magic double-digit figure in the last round when they fired ten goals past Exeter, and they once again face lower league opposition in Salford City, who are a league below their previous opponents. 

Salford, who are co-owned by Gary Neville and David Beckham, are no strangers to The Eithad, having visited the stadium in last season's FA Cup and actually fared better than Exeter...by only conceding eight. 

No doubt Pep Guardiola will give a rest to some of his biggest hitters, but given that City look like they are just revving up for one of their unstoppbale second half of the season runs, the signs are ominous for Salford. 

Could the Citizens wrack up another ten and put themselves into the FA Cup record books? 

Can Macclesfield do it again? 

In Round Three, Macclesfield pulled off the greatest FA Cup giant-killing of all time in terms of league placings, when the National League North side knocked Premier League - and FA Cup holders - Crystal Palace.

The phoenix club remain the only non-league side left in this season's competition and their reward for their exploits sees them host another top flight side in Brentford on Monday night. 

In the Bees, they are getting a much more stable club, and one in good form, having held leaders Arsenal to a goalless draw last week, while Macclesfield come into the game off the back of three straight league wins. 

It feels like a tall task for John Rooney's men to pull off another upset, but under the lights, live on TV, the magic of the cup could strike once again. 

Bottom three at risk?

If you're searching for more FA Cup upsets, then you may want to look in the direction of the clubs occupying the Premier League's bottom three right now. 

All three of the sides in the relegation scrap face potential banana skin-ties, especially given their attention is more focused on survival rather than any cup run in 2026. 

West Ham needed extra time to beat QPR in the last round and now face a trip to Burton Albion. The League One side are in their own relegation battle, but will happily take some respite from league action to try and upset a Hammers side who are bound to be missing a string of first-team names. 

Burnley also face League One opposition as they host Nigel Clough's Mansfield. The Clarets have been short of wins this season so a morale booster in the cup could do them the world of good, but they will know that Mansfield will have nothing to lose as they head to Turf Moor in search of a shock. 

Then there's Wolves. They could do without an embarrassing cup exit to add to their disastrous season, but it feels like an away day at Grimsby Town has all the hallmarks of an upset. Especially as the Mariners have already seen off Manchester United and Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in cup competitions this season. Getty

Liverpool to lay it on Brighton 

Liverpool's season may not be ending in a glorious title defence, but there's still plenty of scope for a trophy, including an FA Cup, two decades after Steven Gerrard's famous one-man show against West Ham. 

Standing in their way in Round Four is Brighton, whose season is in danger of unraveling and pressure is starting to mount on boss Fabian Hurzeler. 

The Seagulls are without a win in twelve, and while it's the league form that will be the priority, another defeat at Anfield will only add to the growing unrest on the South Coast. 

For the home side, a win and progression to the next round will give those on Merseyside some comfort that all is not lost in what's been a disappointing campaign of their own. 

Up for the cup 

Another all-Premier League affair takes place at Villa Park as Aston Villa entertain Newcastle, two teams who should be going full throttle to win this season's competition. 

While both clubs' primary focus will be securing European qualification through their league placings, we saw last season what a trophy win does for a club like Newcastle, and Eddie Howe would love a repeat in the FA Cup. 

As for Villa, they are still without a major trophy win since 1996's League Cup and it feels like the only thing missing from Unai Emery's reign is a piece of silverware. 

Win this one and a cup run could be on and be the start of a memorable season for either side, just when they need it. 

@AVFCOfficial

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