5 FA Cup Tips - 28/1/23

Leeds completed the club-record signing of striker Georginio Rutter earlier this month, and the Frenchman has been tipped to make his debut for his new club in this week’s FA Cup clash with League One side Accrington Stanley.

In a recent press conference, manager Jesse Marsch said “I think there’s a high probability we start with him and I think he’s impressed in training”.

The 20-year-old scored 11 goals in 64 Hoffenheim outings, and he will want to get off the mark quickly for his new club – a clash against an Accrington side who are currently 20th in League One and in poor form provides such an opportunity for Rutter to open his account for the Whites and thus get them into the fifth round, a stage that they have not been in since 2015/16.

This weekend’s clash between Brighton and Liverpool will be the third time that the respective sides will have played each other this season, and both the prior results and form of the clubs makes us confident that Brighton will emerge victorious.

Brighton have scored three goals in both of their league matches against the Reds this season, drawing 3-3 in October before pummelling Jurgen Klopp’s men 3-0 in the reverse fixture just two weeks ago. And Brighton’s performances in the domestic cups this season also makes grim reading for Liverpool, with Brighton scoring six in three games in the Carabao Cup and putting five past Middlesbrough in the last round of this competition.

Liverpool’s shocking form over the past few months also indicates that Brighton will win this matchup, which is why we are backing Roberto De Zerbi’s men to progress to the next round.

18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho has been the breakout star of Manchester United’s 2022/23 season, with the young Argentine impressing whenever he has been given the opportunity.

In 21 appearances this season, the young attacker has three goals and six assists, and in the Red Devils’ FA Cup match against mid-table Championship side Reading this Saturday, expect Erik ten Hag to rest some of his bigger names.

Therefore, it is very likely that Garnacho will be handed a start, and expect him to grab such an opportunity with both hands by getting himself either on the scoresheet or setting up his teammates. Considering his recent performances (including the assist for the match-winning goal in the Manchester derby), we expect him to play a big part in a win for United here.

Our fourth FA Cup tip sees the National League’s current leaders take on the Championship’s second-placed team. Wrexham are top of English football’s fifth tier and are on a great run of form having not dropped points in the league since the beginning of December when they drew away to York, but they will face a much tougher test than York in Paul Heckingbottom’s Sheffield United team this Sunday.

The Blades have lost just one of their last ten matches, and will present a very tough test for their Welsh opponents. Both sides have been in fine goalscoring form, showcased by the fact that the last time that either of them failed to score in a match was at the beginning of the month of November. While Sheffield United will most likely emerge victorious from this one, we predict that the aforementioned goalscoring run from both sides will continue, and that this will be a match where both teams will score.

Our final tip involves Fulham and Sunderland, with the Black Cats making the long journey south to take on high-flying Fulham. Marco Silva’s side are currently seventh in the Premier League, ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

Sunderland sit outside of the Championship play-offs in ninth place, but have had a relatively fine season so far. Unfortunately, they probably will not have enough to pose a challenge to Fulham in their meeting with the Cottagers this weekend, with Fulham’s superiority via the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and co more than enough to get them through to the fifth round.

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