What’s Hot and What’s Not from the FA Cup fourth round draw

Holders Manchester United will host 2013 FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic and Premier League leaders Chelsea will face Brentford in the fourth round of the world’s oldest club competition.

Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils beat Reading in round three at the weekend, and have once again been rewarded with a home tie against a lower league opponent, with Wigan set to visit Old Trafford in two weeks’ time.

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea will take on Brentford in a West London derby at Stamford Bridge, while Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham will play host to League Two high-flyers Wycombe Wanderers in round four.

Arsenal and Manchester City will both be away from home in the next round, with Southampton and Norwich, as well as Crystal Palace and Bolton, going to replays to determine who will face those two, while Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will face Wolves should the Reds get the better of Plymouth Argyle in their third round replay next week.

Non-league sides Sutton United and Lincoln City will be at home in round four should they both win their replays next week, while the tie of the round looks set to take place at the iPro Stadium, as Derby County host Premier League champions Leicester.

Looking back on yesterday’s draw, here’s What’s Hot and What’s Not from the fourth round draw of the FA Cup…

HOT – Non-league minnows have home incentive

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Both non-league sides left in the draw, Lincoln City and Sutton United, have earned a home tie in the next round should they win their respective replays next week.

Lincoln, who drew 2-2 at Championship side Ipswich on Saturday, will face second tier leaders Brighton in round four if they can get past the Tractor Boys, while Sutton United will go to AFC Wimbledon next week with the prospect of facing Garry Monk’s Leeds in round four.

Although they are not the big Premier League sides that Lincoln and Sutton fans would have been hoping for, both Brighton and Leeds are high-flying in the Championship and playing some excellent football, and it would be a great day for both non-league sides should they make the next round.

NOT – Safe passage for top sides

Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester United will all be at home against lower-league opposition in the fourth round, and Liverpool will be as well should they get the better of Plymouth Argyle in their third round replay.

Many will look at those ties as a chief reason for the diminishing aura of the FA Cup, with it likely that at least one of those games will be on TV.

Things are slightly tougher for Arsenal and Manchester City, who will both be away but will have to wait to see who they face in round four, yet you’d expect all six sides to make it through to round five.

Hardly magical.

HOT – Midlands derby

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

One of the ties of the round sees Steve McClaren’s resurgent Derby County host Premier League champions Leicester in an East Midlands derby at the iPro Stadium.

McClaren’s Rams are currently seventh in the Championship having won nine of their 14 games since the former England and Newcastle manager replaced Nigel Pearson, while Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes have struggled in their title defence, winning just five of their 20 Premier League games this term.

With just 11 places separating these two sides, it’s sure to be a fascinating encounter at the iPro, and both sides will have to be at their best to progress to the last 16.

NOT – Where’s the glamour?

Photo: Charlotte Wilson

It was hardly the most inspiring FA Cup draw there has ever been.

The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United host lower league opposition at home for the second successive round, while the likes of Sutton United and Lincoln City haven’t been given a Premier League incentive in their respective replays.

People will wonder why the FA Cup is beginning to lose its glamour and prestige – they’ll look at this fourth round draw and realise why.

You’d expect the majority of the top sides to once again rest players in round four, which is not what the FA and the sponsors want to see happen.

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