Do enjoy my stat-packed tie-by-tie previews of this coming weekend’s FA Cup 4th Round games and please do credit @FACupFactfile should you choose to use any of the information from my previews in your own commentaries, match previews, blog, vlogs and podcasts.
Thursday 25th January
7.45pm AFC Bournemouth (PL) vs. Swansea City (EFL Championship) – ‘Live’ on S4C
Twice met in FA Cup before. AFC Bournemouth beat Swansea City 2-0 in 2000-01 season when both clubs were League Two sides. The generalist FA Cup reporter may not even be aware of their other meeting when Swansea Town beat Boscombe FC 4-0 in a 5th Qualifying Round tie way back in December 1921.
It’s three years since either side last went beyond the 4th Round.
Friday 26th January
7.45pm Bristol City (EFL Championship) vs. Nottingham Forest (PL)
This is the fifth time these two clubs have been drawn together in the FA Cup and Nottingham Forest have been victorious on all four previous occasions. Bristol City did at least manage a draw in their first ever meeting 102 years ago, the only other time they were the home side.
It is Bristol City, though, that have progressed beyond the 4th Round more often in recent years with Forest having done so just once in their last nine campaigns and City achieving the feat three times in their last five.
7.45pm Sheffield Wednesday (EFL Championship) vs. Coventry City (EFL Championship)
Coventry City won through on four of the past five meetings with Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup including their most recent meeting in the 6th Round in 1987 when the Sky Blues famously went on to the lift the Trophy. The clubs’ first FA Cup meeting happened in 1910-11 season when non-league Coventry City beat top-flight The Wednesday.
It’s six years since Coventry last went beyond the 4th Round. Sheffield Wednesday also did so six years ago, but also achieved the feat two seasons later.
7.45pm Chelsea (PL) vs. Aston Villa (PL)
These two clubs have been drawn together in the FA Cup seven times in the past. Villa were victorious in their first four meetings, including a 1919-20 Semi-Final that saved the FA the embarrassment of a club playing a Cup Final at their home ground. Chelsea won the latter three including a 1-0 win in the last Cup Final at the old Wembley Stadium in 2000.
Over the last 30 years Chelsea have only failed to go beyond the 4th Round five times whilst Villa are appearing at this stage of the competition for the first time in eight years.
8.0pm Tottenham Hotspur (PL) vs. Manchester City (PL) – ‘live’ on ITV 1
This is the most common tie of this season’s 4th Round with this being the 12th season the two clubs will meet in the competition. Spurs hold a slender six to five win ratio over City in past FA Cup meetings including the famous 1981 FA Cup Final and that Ricky Villa goal. The clubs’ first and latest FA Cup meetings both ended in a 4-3 score-line, to Spurs in 1908-09 season and to Man City at this stage of the competition 20 years ago.
That recent encounter saw Manchester City go in 3-0 and one man down at half time, only for Jon Macken to complete a remarkable 4-3 turnaround in the last minute, posting the joint biggest comeback in FA Cup history in doing so.
Cup holders City are looking to set more FA Cup records this season having appeared in at least the last four of the competition in each of the last five seasons. Tottenham have themselves made it to the 5th Round in each of the last four seasons, too.
Saturday 27th January
12.30pm Ipswich Town (EFL Championship) vs. Maidstone United (National League South) – ‘live’ on BBC 1
Maidstone United are the last non-league club standing in this season’s FA Cup and are appearing in the 4th Round of the competition for the first ever time. It is the fourth consecutive season a non-league club has reached the 4th Round, something that hasn’t happened since the 1977-78 season.
That 1977-78 season culminated in Ipswich Town lifting the Trophy at Wembley, but the club does not have a great recent record in the competition having not progressed beyond the 4th Round for 17 years.
3.0pm Leicester City (EFL Championship) vs. Birmingham City (EFL Championship)
Leicester City have far and away had the better of things in past FA Cup encounters between the two clubs having been victorious in seven out of their eight previous ties. In fact, Birmingham City’s only victory came in their first meeting way back in the 19th Century when Small Heath won 6-2 against Leicester Fosse in a 1st Qualifying Round tie.
Leicester City also have the better recent FA Cup record, too. The Foxes went beyond the 4th Round four times in the last six seasons including going on to lift the Trophy just three years ago. Birmingham City last reached the 5th Round four years ago, their only visit in their last 11 campaigns.
3.0pm Leeds United (EFL Championship) vs. Plymouth Argyle (EFL Championship)
When Leeds United faced Plymouth Argyle in their only previous FA Cup encounter the West Yorkshire side were Cup holders and duly won 2-1 against their third tier opponents on their way to return to Wembley.
Fifty-one years later and the two clubs play at the same level with both having recent poor FA Cup records. Leeds United made the 5th Round last season for first time in seven campaigns whilst Argyle last went beyond the 4th Round 17 years ago.
For Leeds United this tie at least brings an end to the club’s competition record sequence of being drawn away from home.
3.0pm Everton FC (PL) vs. Luton Town (PL)
Everton won through in each of the three previous times they have been paired with Luton Town in the FA Cup, going on to reach the Final on all three occasions in 1933, 1985 and 1986, although this is the first time the two sides will have met before the Quarter Finals.
Everton have been Quarter Finalists twice in the last three years whilst Luton Town have gone beyond the 4th Round just once in their last 10 campaigns, two years ago.
3.0pm Sheffield United (PL) vs. Brighton and Hove Albion (PL)
Third time drawn together in FA Cup with one win apiece in past meetings. Brighton and Hove Albion won 1-0 in 1921-22 season, a third tier side defeating a top flight club, whilst the Blades won 2-1 in a replay in 1986-87 when both clubs were in the second tier.
This tie could have been last season’s Cup Final with both clubs falling at the Semi-Final stage, the second time both clubs made the last four within the last 10 years.
7.0pm Fulham FC (PL) vs. Newcastle United (PL) – ‘Live’ on ITV 4
Newcastle United have won all four previous FA Cup games against Fulham scoring 20 goals in the process and conceding only four. This includes the record 6-0 FA Cup Semi-final score-line in 1908.
However, it is Fulham that have the slightly better recent FA Cup record reaching the Quarter Finals last season whilst Newcastle United are appearing in the 4th Round for the first time since they made the Quarter Finals four years ago.
Sunday 28th January
11.45am West Bromwich Albion (EFL Championship) vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (PL) – ‘live’ on ITV 1
Since these two fierce local rivals first met in the FA Cup in the 1885-86 season it has been West Bromwich Albion who have significantly had the upper hand having won through on eight on their previous nine ties. Wolves only victory came in the 1948-49 Quarter Finals, and West Brom had their biggest win, 3-0, the last time the two clubs met in the competition 17 years ago.
It is Wolves that have the slightly better recent FA Cup record, though, going beyond the 4th Round three times in last seven seasons including a trip to the last four in 2019. West Brom has three Fifth Round appearances over last eight seasons and last made Semi-Finals in 2008.
2.0pm Watford FC (EFL Championship) vs. Southampton FC (EFL Championship)
Southampton has won four of their five FA Cup encounters against Watford including in the 1906-07 season when both clubs were non-league sides. The Saints won 2-1 that day as they did when the two sides met for a place in the Final itself in 2003.
This is the first time Watford has appeared in the 4th Round since making the Final in 2019 whilst Southampton progressed beyond this round in each of the last three seasons, and twice has appeared in Semi-Finals over last six campaigns.
2.30pm Liverpool FC (PL) vs Norwich City (EFL Championship) – ‘live’ on ITV 1
It’s honours even in past FA Cup meetings between these two clubs with Norwich City winning through on each of the first three occasions and Liverpool being victorious on the latter three, including two years ago on their way to lifting the Trophy (as in 1986).
Over the last eight seasons, Norwich City has gone beyond the 4th Round as many times as Liverpool has, both achieving the feat just twice in that time.
4.30pm Newport County (EFL 2) vs. Manchester United (PL) – ‘Live’ on BBC 1
This will be the first FA Cup meeting between these two clubs. However, Manchester United lost both of their encounters in the competition against clubs from South Wales, to Cardiff City in 1921-22 and to Swansea City 10 years ago.
Last season’s runners-up Manchester United have gone beyond 4th Round in eight of the last nine season’s whereas Newport County have only once made the 5th Round since re-forming in 1989, achieved five years ago.
Monday 29th January
7.30pm Blackburn Rovers (EFL Championship) vs. Wrexham FC (EFL 2) – ‘Live’ on BBC Wales
This will be the first FA Cup meeting between these two clubs despite a combined total of 265 campaigns between them. Wrexham are the third of three Welsh clubs in this season’s 4th Round, only the fourth time there has been at least three clubs from the Principality at this stage of the competition, and the first without Cardiff City being one of them.
It’s 27 years since Wrexham last went beyond the 4th Round of the FA Cup whilst Blackburn Rovers reached the Quarter Finals last season after five successive 3rd Round exits, and have gone beyond the 4th Round 13 times since Wrexham last did so.
FA Cup Factfile 