Manchester City and Arsenal will momentarily pause their intense Premier League title race this weekend to face each other in a high-stakes FA Cup clash at the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile, holders Liverpool will seek to avenge their recent 3-0 defeat at Brighton, and Harry Kane has the opportunity to become Tottenham’s all-time top scorer. AFP Sport highlights some key matchups ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup fourth-round ties.
In their first meeting of the season, Manchester City aims to halt Arsenal’s momentum, as they find themselves unexpectedly trailing the Gunners in the Premier League standings. Currently, City is five points behind Arsenal, who also have a game in hand. However, the champions still have two league matches against Arsenal to come, making this FA Cup showdown an enticing preview of what lies ahead. Arsenal is riding high after recent victories over Tottenham and Manchester United, while City has managed to keep pace by responding to Pep Guardiola’s criticisms with a comeback win against Tottenham and a victory over Wolves. City defender John Stones reflected on their recent performance, stating, “At half-time the other day, Pep told us what he wanted, what he wasn’t happy with. As players, we were not at our best and we had to correct that.” A victory at the Etihad would send a strong message from Arsenal, potentially putting Guardiola in a grumpy mood once again.
Jurgen Klopp expressed that he “couldn’t remember a worse game” than Liverpool’s dismal 3-0 defeat at Brighton, which Jordan Henderson described as a “really low point” in an already challenging season for the Reds. The painful memories from their trip to the Amex Stadium on January 14 still linger for Klopp and his team. However, the FA Cup presents an unexpected opportunity for Liverpool to erase those bitter memories and regain their momentum. Currently languishing in ninth place in the Premier League and ten points adrift of the top four, Liverpool’s fall from grace is striking, especially after they narrowly missed out on an unprecedented quadruple last season. Thiago Alcantara acknowledged the psychological toll of their near-success, stating, “It is not just about physical stuff; it is something psychological because we were so close to winning everything, and we just touched it, but sadly it went away.”
Harry Kane is eager to become Tottenham’s record goalscorer during their match against Preston on Saturday. He recently equaled Jimmy Greaves’ record of 266 goals for Spurs with a stunning strike in their Premier League win at Fulham. Greaves’ record had stood since 1970, but Kane is now on the verge of claiming sole possession of this prestigious milestone. As Tottenham fights to climb back into the Premier League’s top four, manager Antonio Conte may consider resting some key players against second-tier Preston. However, Kane is keen to play, especially after Tottenham’s surprising defeat to Middlesbrough in last season’s FA Cup fifth round. He stated, “The FA Cup is important for us. It was disappointing to lose to Middlesbrough. We will see what the manager says, but I will be ready,” as he continues his pursuit of the first major trophy of his career.
The fixtures for the weekend are as follows:
**Friday**
Manchester City vs. Arsenal (2000 GMT)
**Saturday** (1500 GMT unless stated)
Accrington vs. Leeds (1230), Walsall vs. Leicester (1230), Blackburn vs. Birmingham, Bristol City vs. West Brom, Fulham vs. Sunderland, Ipswich vs. Burnley, Luton vs. Grimsby, Sheffield Wednesday vs. Fleetwood, Southampton vs. Blackpool, Preston vs. Tottenham (1800), Manchester United vs. Reading (2000)
**Sunday**
Brighton vs. Liverpool (1330), Stoke vs. Stevenage (1400), Wrexham vs. Sheffield United (1630)
**Monday**
Derby vs. West Ham (1945)
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