The FA Cup has reached the last 16 stage, and as in recent years, the break from tradition means that this round is being played midweek, with all games getting coverage on live television through the BBC and ITV networks.
Many of the usual suspects are still in the competition and have largely been kept away from each other. This means that the remaining EFL teams have a shot at taking out a team from the Premier League, or at least in the case of the first game, avoiding an upset.
There are five teams left from the EFL Championship, and all have very intriguing ties. Two have home games, while the other three have to travel to opponents that they will not be intimated by. Starting later today, with a game that will have many neutrals looking for an upset that will go down in the famous competition’s folklore.
Monday 26 February
Coventry City v Maidstone United – 7.45 pm
The Sky Blues go into this on the back of a first home loss since late October. Their 3-0 reverse to Preston North End on Friday night, means that Mark Robins’s men slipped away from the playoff places after an impressive run of results that has seen them climb the Championship table in a similar way to last season. They will of course see that as their priority. The FA Cup though brings a bonus for the fans and they have a great opportunity to reach the quarter-finals when they face the lowest-ranked team left in this year’s tournament. Maidstone United of the National League South have matched the exploits of Blyth Spartans who were the last team from the same level to reach this stage in 1977/78. They will enjoy every moment under the lights and in from of a live TV audience but may well find this a step too far in their incredible run.
Tuesday 27 February
AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City – 7.30 pm
It would be easy to say the wheels are coming off for The Foxes after such a tremendous season to this point. Two defeats in the last two games have seen their lead at the head of the Championship, and the inevitable promotion, cut to six points. The successive losses will have knocked their confidence a bit, so the Cup will be a welcome distraction. A trip to the south coast and a Bournemouth side that has not won a league game since Boxing Day. Their only two wins this calendar year have seen their progress to this round. No wins in their last five since beating Swansea City in the last round, has put the Cherries in a position where they are looking over their shoulders at the Premier League drop zone. Leicester then will see this as a definite chance to bounce back from their faltering league form and get back on track, as well as serve notice as to what life could be like should they complete their automatic promotion.
Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United – 7.45 pm
Two teams that are struggling for any kind of consistency could just provide one of the best games as there always. The visitors have seen an average of five goals per game in the Premier League since beating Fulham in the last round of the Cup. Rovers beat Wrexham 4-1 last time out in the Cup but have played beneath themselves for most of the season. To back this up, since beating the Welsh side they have only won once, losing twice, and are currently on a run of three drawn games. Blackburn could view this as a free hit against a team that despite being in ninth place, has only five teams conceded more goals. Should Blackburn find their scoring form that also saw them put five past Cambridge United in the third round, they could spring a surprise.
Wednesday 28 February
Chelsea v Leeds United – 7.30pm
Leeds United have scored 12 goals in their last four games, a run of four wins that have taken them to within six points of Leicester City in a four-way battle for the two automatic promotion spots. It is this form that will give them huge encouragement and belief when they travel down to London for a game that will evoke some long memories of Cup Finals past. The 1970 edition of the contest went to a replay that the Blues eventually won. After another Wembley heartbreak on Sunday in the League Cup, this will be Chelsea’s last chance for silverware this season. Leeds though will want to continue the huge momentum they have gathered and will see the down-on-their-luck Blues as a scalp that will warn their promotion rivals that they are in the ascendency in the Championship promotion challenge. Should Leeds make the last eight, it will not be a shock, given how both teams are playing this season.
Liverpool v Southampton – 8pm
A few short weeks ago the Saints would have fancied their chances of pulling off a minor shock in this tie. The old cliché of football being a funny thing can be used for this Cup tie though, as both teams are starting run-ins that could cement legacies. Jurgen Klopp on his well-documented “retirement tour” has just pocketed the first silverware of the season, and his team will be hungry for more. Southampton though are showing signs of fatigue after making history with their unbeaten run that puts them in contention for promotion. The FA Cup can be a great leveller though, but you just feel after three defeats in the last four, and their opponents starting to pick up freight train speed, it could be too much for the south coast side to handle at Anfield.
