ARSENAL AND MANCHESTER United will do battle under the bright lights of the Emirates Stadium as they meet for their FA Cup fourth round tie on Friday 25 January, live on BBC One [KO 7.55pm].
The stand-out fixture of the round will be the opening match of the weekend’s cup ties. United interim manager Olé Gunnar Solskjaer will aim to continue his good form and target United’s most realistic bit of silverware before he departs for Molde in the summer.
Arsenal, meanwhile, face tricky games against West Ham and Chelsea in the lead up to their clash with the 2015 cup winners.
Between them, the pair have won four of the last five FA Cups on offer, with Arsenal last lifting the cup in 2017 – while Manchester United were beaten finalists last year against Chelsea.
Manchester City host Burnley and Tottenham travel to London rivals Crystal Palace in the only other confirmed all-Premier League ties of the round.
‘Nothing but contempt’
The Chelsea Supporters Trust, meanwhile, have accused the FA of showing “nothing but contempt for supporters with inconvenient kick off times” after the reigning champions were drawn at home to either Sheffield Wednesday or Luton Town on Sunday 27 January at 6pm.
A statement released by the trust today claims that “inherent transport difficulties and costs” involved in attending matches at such times discourage fans from turning out in numbers.
“While the FA Cup may be losing its appeal among some clubs and supporters, this is definitely not the case at Chelsea where FA Cup matches sell out match after match, year after year,” the statement reads.
“However, we wonder how long this exceptional support will continue when the FA, in thrall to the broadcasters, has sold the soul of football’s most prestigious tournament and in doing so shows nothing but contempt for supporters with inconvenient kick off times and the inherent transport difficulties and costs that ensue.
“A 6pm kick-off on a Sunday evening will be particularly hard on Sheffield Wednesday supporters, should they beat Luton Town in the replay, with travel back up to Yorkshire late on a Sunday night especially difficult. But it’s not just the away supporters who will find it difficult, whether from Sheffield or Luton.”
They continue: “Supporters have already expressed frustration and anger at the lack of traditional 3.00 pm kick off times and the number of early, late or Friday night kick offs, due to broadcast demands in this season’s FA Cup.
“This follows on from the extortionate ticket prices charged by the FA for the semi-finals and FA Cup final last season, a point we made vociferously at the time.
“If the FA Cup wishes to retain its pre-eminence as the most loved tournament in football, then the FA would do well to heed the concerns of the very people who make it what it is and ultimately who it serves: the supporters.”
You can read the full statement here.
FA Cup Fourth Round Fixtures
- Arsenal v Manchester United (25/1, KO 7.55pm)
- Accrington Stanley v Derby County / Southampton (26/1, KO 12.30pm)
- Swansea City v Gillingham (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Shrewsbury / Stoke City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Brighton & Hove Albion v West Bromwich Albion (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Bristol City v Bolton Wanderers (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Doncaster Rovers v Oldham Athletic AFC (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Newcastle United / Blackburn v Watford (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Middlesbrough v Newport County AFC (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Manchester City v Burnley (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Portsmouth v Queens Park Rangers (26/1, KO 3pm)
- Millwall v Everton (26/1, KO 5.30pm)
- AFC Wimbledon v West Ham United (26/1, KO 7.45pm)
- Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur (27/1, KO 4pm)
- Chelsea v Sheff Wed / Luton Town (27/1, KO 6pm)
- Barnet v Brentford (28/1, KO 7.45pm)
Ahead of a huge weekend of Heineken Champions Cup action, Murray Kinsella, Andy Dunne and Gavan Casey assess the provinces’ chances of putting a foot in the last eight:
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