⛅️ FA Cup Forecast: Boro to beat Man Utd; Harriers host Hammers | OneFootball

This season’s FA Cup third round was one for the ages but, on paper, this weekend’s fourth round has all the ingredients to be just as good.

Let’s take a look.

Game of the weekend 💪

Kidderminster v West Ham

The magic of the FA Cup will be fully on display in the west Midlands on Saturday.

Sixth tier Kidderminster Harriers take on Premier League West Ham in a genuine David v Goliath clash.

Russell Penn’s side are in the fourth round for the first time in over 30 years having knocked out Championship Reading to get here.

Striker Amari Monrgan-Smith was the hero that day against the Royals and will be leading the line here as the Hammers come to town.

With David Moyes’s side having hit something of a rut sine Christmas a shock for the ages is definitely on the cards here.

📊 Fun fact: West Ham progressed from their last 10 FA Cup ties against non-league opposition.

🔮 Our prediction: Kidderminster 1-2 West Ham

Potential upset 😨

Manchester United v Middlesbrough

Roughly three months ago, any meeting between these two sides would have been a dead-cert, odds-on home win.

But since the arrival of Chris Wilder at the Riverside, Boro have hit new heights to become one of the toughest sides to beat in the Championship.

They might not score a huge amount of goals and the football isn’t exactly Brazil 1970, but Boro have one of the stingiest defences in England right now and will be going to Old Trafford with an obvious game plan and a belief they can get into the fourth round.

United meanwhile, will be without Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, Luke Shaw and Fred.

It’s all there for a big upset.

📊 Fun fact: Boro have been draw with Man Utd for the 11th in the FA Cup, more than any other opponent.

🔮 Our prediction: Man Utd 0-1 Middlesbrough

Big favourites 👍

Manchester City v Fulham

Manchester City are clearly the big favourites for this one, as they are for pretty much any game they play in the Pep Guardiola era.

But this should be a brilliant game with Fulham currently the top scorers in Europe.

Yes, that’s right – Fulham are outscoring Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain right now.

Marco Silva’s side have torn up the Championship this term with their free-flowing, all-action style but as we’ve seen on countless occasions in the past, going toe-to-toe with City is another thing entirely.

This should be a brilliant watch but one that the home side make the most of.

📊 Fun fact: This will be the fifth FA Cup match between Man City and Fulham with City winning the most recent one 4-0 in 2019.

🔮 Our prediction: Man City 4-2 Fulham

Too close to call 🤔

Everton v Brentford

Transfer deadline day was a busy one at Everton.

Not only did the Toffees sign Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli they announced Frank Lampard as their new manager.

It’s been all change at Goodison Park this week then and the first test of Lampard’s stewardship comes this Saturday as Brentford travel to Merseyside.

Thomas Frank’s men have endured a strange debut season in the Premier League, playing a brand of football that’s pleasing to the eye and impressing everyone with their philosophy off it.

But the results have been middling at best – they last won a game on January 2 and have been leaking goals for fun in recent months.

This should be a tight one.

📊 Fun fact: This will be only the third ever meeting between these two sides, and the second of the season after Brentford’s 1-0 win in November.

🔮 Our prediction: Everton 2-1 Brentford

Other predictions