Will We See Anymore Giant Killings In This Year’s FA Cup?

Many people will suggest that the magic of the FA Cup is long gone. But, try and say that to Boreham Wood, for example, who made it past Championship promotion contenders Bournemouth in the last round. For them, and many others, the FA Cup still has that spark, and all eyes are now on round five to see if any more surprise results occur.

Starting with the first three fixtures that will be played; Peterborough United vs Manchester City, Crystal Palace vs Stoke City and Middlesbrough vs Spurs, it’s undoubtedly the latter that catches the eye. Chris Wilder’s charges more than held their own at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the last round, going on to beat Ralf Rangnick’s men on penalties. Wilder has form for taking scalps, and his sides are always likely to spring a surprise result because of the tactic nouse he, assistant manager Alan Knill and analyst Matt Prestridge possess.

The next chunk of fixtures, Luton vs Chelsea, Southampton vs West Ham and Liverpool vs Norwich City, should prove to be straightforward matters. Yes, Luton are on the rise under Nathan Jones. And they’re proving themselves to be dark horses in the Championship. You could also point to Chelsea needing extra time against Plymouth in round four. But, Thomas Tuchel and his side’s quality should come to the fore, and this should see them through.

The remaining couple of fixtures are interesting in their own right. Starting with Everton vs Boreham Wood. Yes, everyone will expect Everton to win and to do so convincingly. But, it will be intriguing to see how Frank Lampard approaches the fixture. Will he go with a weaker team, knowing they still have more than enough quality in their ranks? Or, after seeing what Boreham Wood did against Bournemouth, will he be more inclined to go with a strong lineup, taking no risks at all?

The final fixture is an all Championship tie between Forest and Huddersfield, which means there will definitely be a team from the second tier going through. However, Forest and Huddersfield are both going well in their league campaigns and are both in the promotion hunt. So, while progressing in the FA Cup would be great and lucrative, will either side take their eye off the ball and look at the bigger picture?

More giant killings and surprise results would be great because they’d really bring more eyes to what is still an excellent competition. But, as we edge closer to the last couple of stages, you’re going to naturally expect the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea not to slip up. Of course, they’ll fancy their chances of lifting the trophy, but so will teams such as Everton, Southampton and West Ham. But don’t count against sides such as Chris Wilder's Middlesbrough throwing a spanner in the works and shattering a few dreams.