FA CUP FIFTH ROUND PREVIEW AS WEMBLEY GETS CLOSER...
IF LEICESTER, Southampton and Leeds want to prove their Premier League credentials, this week’s FA Cup ties present the perfect opportunity.
The fifth round pits each of the Championship promotion-chasers against top-flight opposition in the shape of Bournemouth, Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Blackburn will seek to scalp stuttering Newcastle at Ewood Park, while Coventry will be eager to avoid an upset when they kick things off tomorrow night against Maidstone.
There are three all-Premier League ties – Luton v Manchester City, Nottingham Forest v Manchester United and Wolves v Brighton – but our full focus is on our five remaining EFL sides…
COVENTRY CITY V MAIDSTONE UNITED - TOMORROW, 7.45PM
COVENTRY kick off a week of FA Cup action in the unenviable position of being the team everybody wants to lose.
Opponents Maidstone are the first side from outside the top five tiers of English football to reach the fifth round in almost 50 years, with part-time players who supplement their income working for the club’s academy.
“The magic of the FA Cup is very much alive,” said Stones boss George Elokobi after a shock 2-1 win over Ipsbe a tall order. Pre-weekend Coventry had lost just two of their last 21 games in all competitions and were unbeaten at home since the end of October. Callum O’Hare’s returnrn from a long-term injury, meanwhile, has given the Sky Blues’ attacking play an exciting fresh dimensionwich in round four.
Keeping it alive will Boss Mark Robins has promised “full respect” to the National League South outfit and is expected to name his strongest possible side as Coventry chase a first quarter-final berth since 2009.
The ghost of Sutton will naturally loom large, as will an embarrassingassing reverse at home to Worcester City in 2015, but odds of 1/7 in favour of the hosts are a fair tion of the task facreflecing Elokobi’s team.
Maidstone, though, have been offereded every as-sistance in their pursuit of a fourth E F L scalp.
Some 4,800 tickets have been sold for the trip to the CBS - 600 more than their own stadium’s entire capacity - whilst the National League postponed yesterday’s fixture with Weymouth to give the Stones a full week to prepare.
BOURNEMOUTH V LEICESTER CITY - TUESDAY, 7.30PM
BOURNEMOUTH destroyed Swansea 5-0 in the previous round but will face a far sterner test when the Foxes come to town. A Championship side in name only, Enzo Maresca’s team are cruising towards promotion and boast the best away record in the top four tiers of English football.
Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Elland Road, their only defeats were a 3-1 reverse at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup (a game they led unt
