After yesterday’s meeting between Manchester United and Chelsea which ended in a 2-0 home defeat for the Blues, FA Cup fifth round fixtures have been concluded and the quarter-final draw has equally been made.
Interestingly, the competition that involves 736 clubs across England has only 8 clubs remaining in the race for the trophy but only two clubs have greater chances of lifting the trophy.
Watford, Crystal Palace, Wolves, Manchester United, Millwall, Brighton, Swansea City, and Manchester City are the last eight clubs vying for the crown but who are the likely winners? Let’s take an analytical view of each clubs in this round….
Millwall
The Championship side have a very slim chance of progressing to the final considering the club the profile of the remaining clubs.
They are up against out-of-form Brighton in the quarter-final and there is every possibility that they could upset the Premier League side.
Their performance in the competition has been very impressive and making it to this stage — despite facing Everton and Hull City in fourth and third round respectively — is a laudable achievement which could serve as source of motivation.
As result of their display since the start of the campaign, coupled with the obvious fairytale attached to FA Cup competition, we decide to give Millwall a 4/10 chance of winning the competition.
Watford
The Hornets are doing fine in the Premier League and they have had a great run in the competition.
Though they’ve faced relatively easy opponents — including non-league side Woking and inconsistent Newcastle United — in previous rounds, Watford are likely to make it through to the final of the competition.
Will they win it for the first time in many years? That will be answered correctly with time but before then, we gave them a 5/10 possibility.
Swansea
The Swans were relegated to the Championship last season and they currently occupy the 13th position in the country’s second tier league.
Despite their form in the League, the Swans are doing fine in the competition which has seen them progressed through to this stage.
They defeated Gillingham and Aston Villa in the third and fourth round respectively, but they now face a great challenge in the quarter-final.
They will battle Manchester City at home next month and it is very unlikely to see them overcome Guardiola’s men. We rate their chances of winning the FA Cup competition at 3/10.
The list continues in our subsequent posts…