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Most Important Draws of the FA Cup Fourth Round

The FA Cup Fourth Round draw has been made, with the full draw listed, whilst three key matches are selected for their potential to entertain. Where will the key battles lie?

 

The FA Cup fourth round draw has been made, with the following matches to be played.

This article picks out three matches that could be entertaining to watch.

Most Important Draws of the FA Cup Fourth Round

Yeovil Town vs Manchester United

League Two outfit Yeovil Town will face Premier League giants Manchester United. It is always interesting to see this kind of matchup. It is a chance for the lesser team to prove themselves, often consisting of players that have been dropped from Premier League youth academies.

Key Battles

Yeovil have the home advantage, but how they will use it remains a mystery. But, they do have two players from Premier League clubs to call on. Corey Whelan and Marcus Barnes sign on loan from Liverpool and Southampton respectively. Whilst none have any Premier league caps, they are young, talented players. Young, fresh legs could well win the day if Yeovil choose to sit in deep.

Manchester United have an absolute plethora of talent to call upon. Any stout defence put up by Yeovil could be smashed by Romelu Lukaku or undone by Paul Pogba. However, even with Derby’s hardy display, the quality showed by the final whistle, with two goals stolen late on. Yeovil’s key battle is ensuring a tight defence, ball possession wherever possible, but ultimately, to grab a lead and protect it at all costs.

Newport County vs Tottenham

This is another League Two versus Premier League fixture. It has the added fire of a Welsh versus English divide, mixing with the fever of the FA Cup. Spurs still fielded some quality players against AFC Wimbledon in the last round, and look set to take this competition with the utmost sincerity.

Key Battles

If Harry Kane starts, the match itself could be fought and won with his finishing. He truly is in good form, and Newport defenders must be on guard.

Newport do have some firepower in Otis Khan and Francois Zoko who have managed 18 league goals between them. Therefore, Spurs players must be careful to respect their opposition, who might just have a deadly sting in the tail.

Spurs fans will be reminded of the narrow escape against Wycombe last year, in their 4-3 victory. The key battle here is ensuring a professional, level-headed performance, that demonstrates the superior skill of the overall squad.

Peterborough vs Fleetwood Town or Leicester

Peterborough United have already felled Aston Villa, and now they could set their sights on a Premier League club. That is if Leicester can progress past Fleetwood Town. Posh fans will prefer Premier League opposition, but they won’t mind a return to the Highbury Stadium after their recent 3-2 win.

Key Battles

The tie could transform depending on who Posh face. Despite this, Posh suffered little change in the starting eleven that faced Aston Villa. Liam Sheppard and Leo Da Silva Lopez were the only real changes in the side. Posh stuck to their existing formation and tactics, and despite going one goal down, grew with confidence in the match. It is clear they are able to fight as hard as any team. But, it was also apparent that they lacked the class, the killer instinct to turn chances into goals. Against Fleetwood, this may not be a big issue.

But, Leicester will surely punish a team that rues their chances. Leicester can boast the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Shinji Okazaki and the returning Adrien Silva. These are just a few players that Posh would start in their team. Suppressing this kind of attacking talent will be difficult, but necessary if they want to stay in the tie. Thus, conceding any kind of early goal like against Aston Villa could prove very deadly indeed.

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Declan Wiseman, Editor

Declan Wiseman, Editor

Declan has over 10 years of sports and commercial writing experience. Graduating with a Masters in Journalism (Sports) from the University of Sunderland, he now enjoys his role editing and writing football content for Last Word on Sports.

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