• FA Cup preview

The fight to be among the final four

March 16, 2012

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ESPN Fan Films - part six: Everton, the 80s and Dixie

Just eight teams now remain in the oldest cup competition in the world, all of them just one victory away from a nice day out for the fans at Wembley (or so the old cliche says).

Seven Premier League sides and just one solitary Championship representative are left in the pot, but with both of the Manchester sides long departed the stage is set for any of those participants to make their play for glory.

Can Stoke overcome Liverpool and give themselves an obvious chance to emulate last year's final run; or will it be the turn of another 'unfancied' side to get within touching distance of the prize on offer?

Saturday

Everton v Sunderland

Form: Everton beat Tamworth at Goodison Park in the third round, before overcoming Fulham and Blackpool at the same venue to book this, their fourth successive home encounter of the competition. Sunderland defeated Peterborough in a tricky away trip to begin the tournament, before toppling Middlesbrough after a replay and stunning Arsenal at the Stadium of Light.
Key battle: With Lee Cattermole suspended, Craig Gardner may well be tasked with marshalling the midfield area for his side - a part of the game where Marouane Fellaini and Everton often excel.
Player to watch: Nikica Jelavic fled what appears to be Rangers' sinking ship in January, and now knows he could fire his new side to a Wembley trip with a repeat of his recent match-winning goal against Tottenham.
Talking point: Having beaten Arsenal to get to this stage, would Sunderland be disappointed not to capitalise on that to book a Wembley visit? Or would David Moyes be more frustrated if his side failed to capitalise on four successive home draws to this point?
Bet of the day: Quite literally handed the luck of the draw, Everton's route to the semi-finals looks pre-ordained, although they still don't score enough goals for comfort. A narrow one-goal win looks a reasonable investment at 5/1 with bet365
Prediction: 1-0

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Tottenham v Bolton - live on ESPN

Form: This will be the first time Spurs face Premier League opposition in the competition, after defeating Cheltenham (at home), Watford (at Vicarage Road) and Stevenage (after a replay) up to this point. After finally disposing of Macclesfield after a replay in the third round, Bolton have since vanquished Swansea and Millwall to put themselves into the last eight.
Key battle: Jermain Defoe has enjoyed something of a renaissance as he bids to force his way into England contention for the summer, and David Wheater will have to knuckle down and focus on the job in hand against the forward.
Player to watch: Having won some silverware - somewhat surprisingly - for the first time in his career while on loan at Real Madrid last season, Emmanuel Adebayor may have extra encouragement to put in maximum effort and place himself within two wins of adding another item to his newly-acquired trophy cabinet.
Talking point: How seriously will Harry Redknapp treat this game? With the Premier League title race beyond Spurs the cup remains their best chance of some silverware, but with Arsenal breathing down their necks for third in the league the England manager-elect may feel the league remains the priority for his best players.
Bet of the day: Redknapp may still rotate his team to an extent, but the quality of the overall squad, coupled with home advantage, means Tottenham should have enough to win both halves, at 11/8 with bet365
Prediction: 3-1

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Sunday

Chelsea v Leicester

Form: Chelsea battered beleaguered Portsmouth in the third round, before edging QPR in a fraught fourth round encounter and then needing a replay to finally get past Birmingham. Leicester are the only remaining side outside the Premier League in the competition - they have beaten Nottingham Forest, Swindon and Norwich to earn their place in the quarter-finals.
Key battle: Sol Bamba is a defender with a growing reputation within the game - he can add to that by keeping Didier Drogba quiet. Of course, it will not do Bamba too much good if Fernando Torres gets his name back on the scoresheet on his watch.
Player to watch: Taken off in the second half against Napoli but presumably likely to feature heavily in this one, Daniel Sturridge will want to send a message to caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo that he deserves to be the main main Andre Villas-Boas eventually considered him to be.
Talking point: Seemingly over the turmoil caused by Villas-Boas's reign, Chelsea now have the chance to progress in a cup for the second time in a week. But does Di Matteo really need to win one of those two cups to force Roman Abramovich to even consider him as a full-time appointment?
Bet of the day: Leicester are 7/2 to score the final goal of the contest - with the greatest of respect, with the Blues rejuvenated by then the Foxes could well be looking for a consolation: 7/2 with bet365
Prediction: 3-1

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Liverpool v Stoke

Form: A memorable fourth round victory over Manchester United at Anfield is sandwiched between two comprehensive defeats of Oldham Athletic and Brighton for Liverpool, while Stoke have reached this stage thanks to three successive away wins - against Gillingham, Derby and Crawley Town.
Key battle: Luis Suarez has enjoyed success against Stoke in the past - scoring a wonderful curling effort in a Carling Cup encounter at the Britannia in October - and will be confident he can cause the more physically intimidating Ryan Shawcross a headache with his technique and trickery.
Player to watch: It will be interesting to see how Steven Gerrard follows up the hat-trick performance against Everton on Tuesday, in a game to savour but one he nevertheless appeared to be struggling with an injury throughout.
Talking point: There is a very real chance Liverpool could end the season having won both England's domestic cup competitions - but does Kenny Dalglish really need to walk away from his managerial post if the side are to get their act together over the course of 38 games in the Premier League?
Bet of the day: For some reason we expect this match to be a bit ill-tempered. For the referee to brandish four cards is 5/6 with bet365
Prediction: 2-1

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