Potential FA Cup Upsets to Watch This Weekend in the 4th Round

Every year there seems to be a non-league team who punches above their weight and this year, it's sixth-tier Chorley. Although many think they had an easy tie against a weakened Derby side in the third round, they are definitely here on merit, having knocked out Wigan and Peterborough in the first and second round. They have now been given a big draw, as they face Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night at Victory Park.

After suffering relegation last season, Chorley are decent form this season as they look to bounce back to the National League under the management of Jamie Vermiglio, who is also a headteacher at a school in Warrington. The Magpies sit ninth in a tight league, just six points away from Chester, who are second.

Wolves have been poor since star striker Raul Jimenez suffered injury against Arsenal and have picked up just two points in their last six games in the Premier League. 18-year-old Portuguese striker Fabio Silva is likely to start and he undoubtedly has potential, but Silva has scored just twice in 16 appearances since signing from FC Porto and may struggle against physical opposition on a non-league pitch.

The last time Wolves played non-league opposition in the cup they lost, when they played Luton Town back in 2013 and we think Chorley could once again prove to be a difficult challenge and we predict a shock 1-0 win for the hosts.

ICYMI: Take our history of FA Cup upsets quiz right here and see how many you can get out of15!

Brighton & Hove Albion reached the FA Cup semi-finals two seasons ago, where they lost to Manchester City, but will have to overcome Blackpool if they are to advance in this year’s competition.

The Seagulls have a poor home record and won just one game at the AMEX stadium in the entirety of 2020 and may put their Premier League status as a bigger priority than any cup run, resulting in them playing a weakened side.

On the other hand, Blackpool have already won twice away from home in this season's FA Cup, without conceding a goal in their 3-0 and 4-0 wins against Eastbourne Borough and Harrogate Town. Although they are currently 16th in League One, they picked up an impressive point in their last game, with a 1-1 draw against leaders Hull City.

Graham Potter’s side needed the help of penalties in their third-round tie at Newport County, but they may not get that benefit if they overlook Blackpool. We think a possible 2-1 win could be on the cards for the League One side.

Sheffield United will take positives from the fact that they recently picked up their first win of the season, at home to Newcastle United, but we doubt they will attempt a cup run as they try to stay in the Premier League.

Plymouth Argyle had gone 11 league games away from home without a victory, a run stretching back to February, before an impressive 2-1 win at Sunderland. Argyle have also defeated both Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town away from home in the FA Cup this season.

Despite having the worst away form in League One, we fancy Plymouth to impress at Bramall Lane as they begin to pick up results on the road. On the other hand, Chris Wilder could see the cup as a chance to raise confidence and get another win under their belts or as a chance to rest his players for the league.

If he rests players, we think Plymouth will come out on top with a win, especially given how fellow League One side Bristol Rovers came back from behind twice to equalise against the Blades in the last round.

After reaching the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, Brentford will be looking for another cup run as they take on Premier League title contenders Leicester City. The Bees have already knocked out Premier League sides Southampton, Fulham and Newcastle United in cup competition this year and are in stellar form, as Thomas Frank’s side are now unbeaten in 15 in the league and top the Championship form table over the last 10 games.

Leicester briefly went top of the Premier League table on Tuesday night as they schooled Chelsea 2-0 with a true statement of intent. A Premier League title race is certainly on and key players such as Jamie Vardy may be rested as he was against Stoke in the previous round, which could prove very costly for the Foxes.

We expect this to be a fantastic game, with two form teams going head-to-head, with hopefully a number of goals and momentum could swing either way.

Five-time FA Cup winners Everton started the season with a bang and were beginning to look like challengers for the Premier League. Although they are not completely out of the race, it is looking like they will be chasing Champions League football rather than a league title. The creative instrument, James Rodriguez, has been subject to injuries this season and may not be risked, as well as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with Carlo Ancelotti's alternatives like Cenk Tosun in with a shout.

Sheffield Wednesday have won all three games under the leadership of caretaker manager Neil Thompson and the former Scarborough and Ipswich Town defender may be looking to get the job on a permanent basis. A win at Goodison Park would make it difficult to look beyond Thompson for the job and therefore, we think he will select a strong lineup.

An old-school FA Cup tie involving two teams that have won the competition, we think the South Yorkshire side could edge this one.

By Tom Eaton