Lawro’s FA Cup Fourth Round Predictions (Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th February)

BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson (Lawro) has picked out his score predictions for every FA Cup Fourth Round fixture this weekend, starting with the Friday night match between Manchester United and Middlesbrough.  There are some big potential upsets in the Cup this weekend, none more so than at Chelsea where Plymouth will take a big following for their 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday. Kidderminster also have the chance to cause a big shock on Saturday lunch-time when West Ham visit. Frank Lampard takes charge of his first match as Everton manager against Brentford at 3pm and Championship leaders Fulham go to Manchester City at the same time. Saturday evening gives us two more TV matches, Cambridge play Luton at 5.30pm before Tottenham vs Brighton on ITV4 at 8pm. There are three matches on Sunday, all on TV starting with Liverpool vs Cardiff at 12pm before Nottingham Forest play Leicester and then Bournemouth host Boreham Wood who are the lowest side left in the competition.

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Lawro’s FA Cup Predictions (4th Round)

Fixture	Prediction	Bet
Nottm Forest vs Chelsea	1-3	ODDS
Brighton vs Newcastle	1-1	ODDS
Burnley vs Leeds	0-0	ODDS
Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth	2-2	ODDS
Man City vs Everton	2-1	ODDS
Sunderland vs Wolves	2-0	ODDS
Fulham vs Arsenal	1-3	ODDS
Tottenham vs Aston Villa	2-0	ODDS
Liverpool vs Man United	3-1	ODDS
West Ham vs Brentford	1-1	ODDS

 

Chelsea vs Plymouth

Plymouth were top of League One in mid-November but have slipped down the table a little bit since losing manager Ryan Lowe to Preston in December. They can view this game in the same way Middlesbrough might look at their tie at Manchester United – it is exciting and will be an enjoyable day that will be a very useful money-spinner, but promotion takes priority. Chelsea will be able to rotate their squad but Thomas Tuchel has an excellent record in the cups and they should win this tie comfortably whatever team he puts out. Lawro’s prediction: 3-0  

Kidderminster vs West Ham

Kidderminster began their FA Cup campaign in September, in front of 687 people at Noose Park – home of Sporting Khalsa of the Northern Premier League, Midlands Division. Five months and six wins later, they will now play Premier League opposition in front of hundreds of thousands of fans across the world. It’s great to see because the money they have made can transform the club and the whole feel-good factor is what the FA Cup is all about. Harriers have played West Ham in the FA Cup before, when they were top of what is now the National League in 1994, and the Premier League side scraped a 1-0 win in the fifth round. This time? Well, I think Hammers boss David Moyes would have picked a strong team for this round anyway, regardless of the opposition or venue, because his side have lost two on the bounce in the league and they need to get a bit of their rhythm back. He won’t be taking any chances at Aggborough either, especially because there are no replays in this round and that adds to the jeopardy for the bigger clubs. Lawro’s prediction: 0-2  

Cambridge vs Luton

Cambridge pulled off the shock of the third round when they won at St James’ Park, and their fans will be desperate for them to keep their run going. But Luton are going under the radar a bit in the Championship and have had some great results since the turn of the year. This one is going to be close, and it might take penalties to settle it. Lawro’s prediction: 1-1 – Luton to win on penalties after extra time.  

Tottenham vs Brighton

Tottenham did quite a bit of business in January, in both directions, so it will be interesting to see what changes Antonio Conte makes, and where Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur will fit into his team. Conte reached the final of the FA Cup in his first season at Chelsea, and won it the following year. I am not sure how he will view it now he is at Spurs, but I think home advantage will help him get past Brighton for starters. Mind you, the Seagulls are draw specialists wherever they play so it would not be a surprise if they take this tie into extra time. Lawro’s prediction: 2-0  

Liverpool vs Cardiff

Cardiff ruined my weekend when they scored in extra time to knock Preston out in the last round. The Bluebirds are not having a great season in the Championship but have won their past two games so have a bit more breathing space over the bottom three. I am sure they will have a go at Liverpool, and I am also sure that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will start with some of his squad players. He will have enough on the bench to call upon if needed though. Lawro’s prediction: 2-0  

Nottingham Forest vs Leicester

This is a tough trip for Leicester, even though they will have some players back from the Africa Cup of Nations. These two teams are still big rivals, even though they haven’t played each other for eight years, and Nottingham Forest have already knocked out one of the big boys by beating Arsenal in round three. Forest are playing well under Steve Cooper in the Championship too, and I am going with an upset here in front of a full house and the BBC cameras. Lawro’s prediction: 1-1 – Forest to win on penalties after extra time.  

Bournemouth vs Boreham Wood

Bournemouth were very busy in January, adding to their squad to boost their promotion hopes. As with all the teams at the top end of the Championship who are still in the FA Cup, going up is their main goal. You could argue the same applies for Boreham Wood, who are trying to get into the Football League and their fans will enjoy a good day out on the south coast, no matter what happens on Sunday evening. Lawro’s prediction: 2-0  

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