Category: Football (Soccer)

Walsall look to catch the eye against Leicester, Liverpool seek revenge at Brighton and intriguing games in Manchester

The Walsall manager, Michael Flynn, was very unhappy about the news that his side’s clash with Leicester would not be aired on a main UK channel. “I think it is a disgrace our game hasn’t been chosen, it is what the FA Cup is all about,” he said. His argument is more than a fair one when Manchester United v Reading will be available on Saturday night. League Two clubs such as Walsall heavily rely on TV money from cup runs to help with finances, more than the likes of United topping up their coffers. It is up to Flynn and his squad to prove TV bosses wrong by pulling off an upset inside a packed Bescot Stadium on Saturday. TV companies need to acknowledge what the FA Cup is about. Will Unwin

Walsall v Leicester, Saturday 12.30pm

Brighton v Liverpool, Sunday 1.30pm

Wrexham v Sheffield United, Sunday 4.30pm

Derby County v West Ham, Monday 7.45pm

Preston v Tottenham, Saturday 6pm

Mikel Arteta transformed his team by signing Jesus and Zinchenko and returns to the Etihad on a high in the FA Cup

What would the response have been if Liverpool had tried to sign a couple of Manchester City’s fringe players last summer? The smart money is on City refusing to sell. They surely would have regarded Liverpool as the likeliest threat to their hopes of retaining the Premier League title and seen no value in making it that easy for them to strengthen their squad.

But it was different when Arsenal came calling for Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Liverpool had pushed City to the limit, taking the title race to the final day. Arsenal had relinquished fourth place to Tottenham, finished 24 points below City and for all their youthful promise done little to suggest that they were ready to challenge at the top.

• Manchester City and Arsenal meet in FA Cup on Friday
• Guardiola: ‘I have a huge respect as a person, as a manager’

Pep Guardiola believes he could “fight on the touchline” with Mikel Arteta when Manchester City host Arsenal in Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie but this would not alter his huge respect for his former assistant.

Arteta worked under Guardiola at City for three years until becoming the Arsenal manager in December 2019. He has drawn criticism this season for how animated he is on the touchline. Guardiola can also be histrionic and was asked whether he might calm his behaviour to avoid a potential flashpoint.

Brighton pulled off a huge shock in 1984 – despite the fact their former manager wanted them to ‘get well and truly stuffed’

By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog

Would lightning strike twice? In February 1983 Brighton had visited Anfield and pulled off the shock of the FA Cup by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the fifth round. A little under a year later the teams were drawn together again in the competition. There were noticeable differences for the sequel. Brighton were now the hosts, but many of the components of their run to the Cup final in 1983 were no longer at the club, including the manager, Jimmy Melia.

Brighton were relegated only a few weeks before they faced Manchester United in the FA Cup final, which they lost in a replay, and the pressure mounted on Melia. Chris Cattlin was drafted in as a coach during the summer – an appointment that Melia opposed – and, five months after he had led Brighton out at Wembley, the manager stepped down.