David Easson - FA Cup 5th Round Preview - Tuesday 27th February
David Easson - FA Cup 5th Round Preview - Tuesday 27th February
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Tuesday’s FA Cup 5th Round Ties
David Easson previews the midweek round of FA Cup Fixtures as we reach the last 16…
Starting with Bournemouth against Leicester in what should be one for the pressing purists. The Cherries are one of the sides I thought could go far in this season’s FA Cup mainly due to the sides below them in the Premier League being so poor. 28 points and maybe, just maybe they’re already safe. So the cup opens up and a home tie against Leicester may not seem appetising but the Foxes have had back-to-back defeats and I think this one could have lots of goals. Bournemouth have enjoyed the cup so far and Leicester may well have both the league defeat to Leeds on their minds – a game they should’ve won – and the weekend’s home game with QPR.
Both sides will score, it’ll go over 2.5 goals. I think it’s the game of the night and Bournemouth win it with both scoring at 21/10.
Blackburn v Newcastle is a little teaser of a cup tie. The Geordies will take thousands to Ewood, but they won’t be taking anything like a decent away record this season. 3 away wins from 13 in the league, but they have won both FA cup ties away this season at Fulham and Sunderland, keeping clean sheets both times. Blackburn manager John Eustace has overseen 3 draws and a defeat so far since joining Rovers and they really should not have anywhere near enough to stop Newcastle going through, and while they had a good win over Wrexham at Ewood in the last round, that game showed just how open they can be. Newcastle need a solid win and I think they’ll get it to nil. That’s 5/2.
At Kenilworth Road where Manchester City are the visitors to a Luton side who have been given quite the schedule. Beaten by United and Liverpool last week in matches they were involved in for long periods, now they get City in the cup. They’ve had a weekend off so will be fresher, but can they crucially get those legs to keep working beyond the 70 minute mark. They ran out of steam at Anfield last week. City are toppling over the line in matches at the minute. Not their fluent best but winning, and they should do again here. No-one has gone to Luton and steamrollered them (yet) and neither have City taken too many sides to the cleaners. Guardiola will want this done in normal time ahead of the Manchester derby, so it’s a City win and I’m taking man-of-t he-moment Phil Foden to get the opening goal at 15/2