One of this weekend’s FA Cup fourth round ties is the clash between lowly Aston Villa and Manchester City at Villa Park.
The form book is thrown out of the window in this competition and there are no certs as to who will advance and the ones eliminated.
Villa and City are seeped in cup tradition, with the former team having seven wins and the Citizens five.
This season in the Premier League Villa and City shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw at Villa Park. At present, Man. City are three points adrift of leaders Leicester in the Premier League but the Villans are rock bottom.
Yet, Villa are undefeated in their last five outings in league and cup but Man. City start favourites also buoyed by their progress to the League Cup final in midweek.
Eric Black, the former Motherwell and Coventry City manager, teamed up with manager Remi Garde in the Villa technical set-up this week as City boss Manuel Pellegrini believes getting his key players back to full fitness would be crucial in the race for the major honours.
The following are past results between Villa and City in the FA Cup:
2011 (5th round) Villa-City3-0
2006 (5th round) Villa-City1-1
Replay – City vs Villa2-1
1995 (4th round) City-Villa 1-0
1938 (quarter-final) Villa-City3-2
1934 (semi-final) City-Villa 6-1
1915 (2nd round) City-Villa1-0
1910 (3rd round) Villa-City 1-2
1900 (1st round) Villa-City 1-1
Replay – Villa-City3-0
Another all-Premier tie is the duel between Liverpool and West Ham at Anfield this evening.
At this same venue this season, the Hammers put three past the non-consistent Reds in the Premier League.
Last week, Liverpool secured a last-gasp 5-4 win over Norwich City in what has to be the most exciting match so far this season. However, the defensive frailties in Juergen Klopp’s side were all clear for everybody to see.
On Tuesday, Liverpool saw off Stoke City in a penalty shoot-out to reach the final of the League Cup on February 28.
It’s a sign of the times and the way the old order is changing in the English top flight that West Ham considered their draw with Manchester City as two points dropped rather than one gained last Sunday.
After forfeiting three priceless points to Chelsea at home, Arsenal take on Burnley in London, today.
Chelsea remain the Gunners’ top nemesis as their striker Diego Costa scored the only goal of the match to put a dent in Arsenal’s title hopes.
The Blues, buoyed by their win at the Emirates Stadium, cross swords with Championship side Milton Keynes Dons away, tomorrow. Chelsea continued their renaissance under Guus Hiddink as Costa is shining more since Jose Mourinho left Stamford Bridge.
After defeating Leicester in a third-round replay, Tottenham play at League One side Colchester in today’s early kick-off.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino hailed Dele Alli’s ‘amazing’ goal after the midfielder inspired Tottenham to a 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace to maintain their Premier League challenge going this season.
Watford have been quoted as rank outsiders for the FA Cup as they travel to Championship side Nottingham Forest today.
Watford secured their first win in six matches last week after beating Newcastle 2-1 as the Hornets completed a first ever top-flight double over the Toon.
UK football fixtures...
Fa Cup Fourth Round
Arsenal-Burnley
Aston Villa-Man. City
Bolton-Leeds United
Bury-Hull City
Colchester-Tottenham 13:45
Crystal Palace-Stoke City
Liverpool-West Ham 18:30
Nottm Forest-Watford
Oxford-Blackburn
Portsmouth-Bournemouth
Reading-Walsall
Shrewsbury-Sheffield Wed.
West Brom-Peterborough
Tomorrow:
Carlisle-Everton 14:30
MK Dons-Chelsea 17:00
The Championship
Bristol City-Birmingham
Huddersfield-Cardiff City
Rotherham-Charlton
League One
Blackpool-Gillingham
Bradford-Fleetwood
Coventry-Scunthorpe
Millwall-Crewe
Rochdale-Burton
Swindon-Barnsley
Wigan-Port Vale
League Two
Accrington-Bristol Rovers
AFC Wimbledon-Yeovil
Crawley-Mansfield
Hartlepool-Exeter
Leyton Orient-Cambridge
Luton Town-Notts County
Morecambe-Newport County
Plymouth-Wycombe
York City-Stevenage