Defending champions Arsenal got a routine draw against second-division side Burnley as the pairings for the fourth round of the FA Cup were set Monday evening. Crystal Palace will host Stoke in the lone confirmed Premier league head to head match up as the draw set up a relatively tepid set of fixtures ahead of next week’s replays. The fourth round proper will begin the weekend of January 29th, live across FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOXSoccer2GO.
Several games that could be intriguing hang in the balance. Wycombe and Aston Villa must replay after their draw; the winner of that game will get to host mighty Manchester City. For the fourth-division Wanderers, who held struggling Villa to a 1-1 draw, that could be a tasty and lucrative matchup. (Lower-division clubs can reap significant financial windfalls in the FA Cup against bigger clubs from gate receipts.) And, Exter will be highly motivated to get the job done against Liverpool in their replay; the fourth division minnows would earn a home game against West Ham if they can get past Jurgen Klopp’s men at Anfield. (Don’t bet on it.)
For tiny Eastleigh, who were denied a famous win against Bolton on the weekend thanks to a late goal, they face a replay at the Macron with a matchup against Leeds United on the horizon. The non-league Spitfires are the smallest club left in this year’s FA Cup.
Elsewhere, Chelsea await the winner of the Northampton-MK Dons match while Bournemouth will face the winner of the Ipswich v Portsmouth replay. The winner of the third meeting between Tottenham and Leicester get a trip to wee Colchester, one of the poorest teams in the third division.
The fourth round takes place from Jan. 29-Feb 1.
Full draw for the FA Cup 4th Round:
West Bromwich Albion/Bristol v Peterborough United
Eastleigh/Bolton for Leeds United
Arsenal v Burnley
Derby County v Manchester United
Huddersfield/Reading v Walsall
Exeter/Liverpool v West Ham
Wycombe/Aston Villa v Manchester City
Shrewsbury Town v Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest v Watford
Carlisle/Yeovil v Everton
Crystal Palace v Stoke
Oxford Utd v Newport/Blackburn
Ipwich/Portsmouth v AFC Bournemouth
Colchester Utd v Tottenham/Leicester
Bury/Bradford v Hull City
Northampton/MK Dons v Chelsea
