This weekend's FA Cup games....... one remaining
Feb 09, 2025
FA Cup: Manchester United- Leicester City
This is a rarity as , after bad mouthing them for 18 months, I am siding with United today.....
Two teams we are not very keen on! United because they have SO many issues and are just not very good and only at the start ,if that, of a major transition period where some very big decisions need to be made at the club, both on and off the pitch. I do not think I would touch them with a barge pole against any other EPL team, but they have already beaten City 5-2 (League Cup) and 3-0 (EPL) this season and need this so much more than the visitors. City's only target can be survival, they are effectively 3 points from safety and 10 adrift of the team in 16th and do not require any further FA Cup distractions. Their head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy was actually in temporary charge of the hosts for those two United wins in this series, he can walk into Old Trafford with his head held high, accept a heroes welcome as a club legend, lose and then leave with more of the same! City have conceded 2.32 goals per game versus top flight opponents this season and their xGA is a shade worse than that and United just cannot afford another home defeat, especially against a team below them in the table and with Ruud in the stadium. For all their woes, and they are many, United step up at OT as flat track bullies (feeding on the "weaker" teams) and are 4-0-0 at home to bottom five clubs with a 15-3 goal difference. City are coming off a frightful 4-0 defeat at Everton, but have scored 16 away goals and have not gone b2b games without a road goal.
1.75 units Manchester United to win and both teams to score @ 2.79 asian line.
FA Cup: Plymouth Argyle- Liverpool
Many of my previews are written with not just the day/game in question, but with the future in mind, teams or players I expect to improve or having overachieved.
18 days ago, I wrote very much along those lines about Plymouth Argyle ....
This has little to do with tonight per se, as Burnley "probably" have enough about them to win and Argyle were awful at home to a white hot QPR at the weekend, but I do see the hosts as likely to improve in the coming weeks.
However, Burnley do draw a lot of games and a point would take them back into third place and they have only scored one goal in their last four Championship starts and were saved a battering at the weekend by a MOTM performance from goalkeeper James Trafford, holding Sunderland to a 0-0 draw at Turf Moor. This is also their longest trip of the season, a 12 hour round trip by road, if they are lucky! So a few negatives for them.
Argyle are bottom of the Championship and 5 points from safety, but have six teams within seven points and it is not impossible that they could at least put in a pretence at a survival bid. They were in League 2 in 2020, so have been promoted twice and survived narrowly last season and the thinking is that perhaps they progressed too quickly and they came up to the Championship with a low budget. However, they have made huge strides as a club, on and off the pitch and have strong and loyal support, with Home Park close to a sell out most weeks.
The Wayne Rooney "era" is over and he has been replaced by Austrian/Bosnian Miron Muslic who made an articulate and impressive speech to the squad upon his arrival which went viral and there is a link to that below. No real immediate improvement, but he has his two assistants from his former job Cercle Brugge with him now (arrived this week) as it took 10-12 days to sort out their visas and, I understand there are playing additions set to be made and a new investor(s) to be announced and also a packed treatment room is starting to clear. For all their woes, Argyle have lost only three home games this season ,only 3 in 16 starts actually and we saw a big reaction in their next home game after the first two, a 3-2 win over Sunderland (3rd) and 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough (5th) and Burnley (4th) fit nicely into group and are perhaps more vulnerable than they have been for some time.
As I started by saying, like many posts this is more about the future than today, especially so in this case .
Argyle actually lost 5-0 at home that day, but have played twice subsequently drawing 2-2 away to 4th placed Sunderland who were unbeaten at home where they had only conceded 8 goals and then beating 5th placed WBA 2-1 here at Home Park . Two great performances which have given cause for optimism and renewed survival hope.....
| 18 | Cardiff City | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 33 | 44 | -11 | 31 | WXWX | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 25 | ||
| 19 | Hull City | 29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 38 | -8 | 29 | WLWX | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 18 | ||
| 20 | Stoke City | 29 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 26 | 36 | -10 | 29 | OLXO | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 19 | ||
| 21 | Portsmouth | 29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 36 | 52 | -16 | 29 | LLWW | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 38 | ||
| 22 | Derby County | 29 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 32 | 40 | -8 | 27 | LLLL | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 26 | ||
| 23 | Luton Town | 29 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 29 | 48 | -19 | 26 | LLOL | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 31 | ||
| 24 | Plymouth Argyle | 29 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 27 | 62 | -35 | 22 | XLLX | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 37 | ||
Today, of course, that can all be forgotten, the visit of Liverpool is one of the biggest games that Argyle has ever hosted and the stadium could have been sold out three times over. Home Park will be jumping for 90-100 minutes regardless of scoreline and any goal celebrated like a win. It is not their most important game this week, they will be the midweek visit of Millwall and their season has to be all about survival, but as I said today that is on the backburner for the afternoon and this fixture can be enjoyed. Liverpool are in major contention in four competitions and will rotate today, but there is a big gulf in class and the visitors should score 3-4 goals, but they will be made to work hard on a wet pitch in gusty windy conditions and I expect Plymouth to score. Going forward after today, Argyle are definitely a team to monitor and who should continue to improve.
1.75 units Liverpool to win and both teams to score @ 2.81 asian line.
Good luck!
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