Palace takes on City in 4th round
Having written off the FA Cup as an unwelcome distraction prior to its thirdround clash, Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce may now be hoping it provides a tonic to soothe frustrated fans and a pick-me-up for its beleaguered players.
Palace hosts Manchester City on Saturday in one of two all Premier League fourth round ties, with Arsenal’s match against Southampton the other highlight of the weekend fixture list.
Should Palace lose, it will be its fifth defeat in eight matches since Allardyce replaced Alan Pardew in December. Victory, however, could give it a platform from which to build as it looks to pull clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
There are signs that Allardyce is warming to the competition. He had said his players were “concerned about bigger things than the FA Cup” before Palace played the manager’s former club Bolton Wanderers in the last round.
After they edged through following a 2-1 victory, however, Allardyce had seemingly mellowed.
“Wins grow confidence,” he said. “No doubt about that.”
That win, however, was immediately followed by a 1-0 league defeat to Everton, just as City was showing signs of recovery with a good display in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
The early rounds of the FA Cup are seemingly treated by some Premier League managers as an inconvenient interruption in the fixture list and little more than an exercise in squad rotation.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is expected to ring the changes again when his side faces Southampton with media reports saying striker Alexis Sanchez could be rested while Danny Welbeck is in contention to make his first start of the season.
Liverpool, knocked out of the League Cup in the semifinal by Southampton, takes on second tier Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday when Premier League leader Chelsea hosts Brentford.
Holder Manchester United is at home to second-tier Wigan Athletic on Sunday. (Reuters) Friday on TV: FA Cup fourth round: Derby vs Leicester City (live on Sport 1 at 9:45 p.m.). Saturday: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City / Chelsea vs Brentwood (live on Sport 2 at 4:50 p.m.); Liverpool vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (live on Sport 2 at 2:30 p.m.); Southampton vs Arsenal (live on Sport 2 at 7:30 p.m.)