Football – England – FA Cup 4th Round
Saturday 24th January 2015 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
From an all-Premiership clash to a League One clash between Preston north End and Sheffield United at Deepdale to decide who will be in the hat for the fifth round of the cup, and a chance for a cash windfall against one of the ‘big boys’.
Preston progressed through to this round following an impressive 2-0 home win over Championship side Norwich City, although that was the Lilywhites’ last win in all competitions as they’ve since suffered back-to-back defeats to Walsall in the Johnstones Paint Trophy and a 2-1 loss at today’s opponents Sheffield United in the league.
Subsequent draws with Leyton Orient and Yeovil Town were disappointing returns but they have a great chance to not only avenge that recent defeat at Sheffield United, but to earn a possible lucrative tie with a Premier League side in the next round.
Visitors Sheffield United suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One cup during midweek, and perhaps their energy may well have taken a toll on them as they gave Spurs a good run for their money at White Hart Lane.
That was The Blades’ second loss on the trot as they’d previously lost 1-0 at MK Dons in League One, and in fact they’ve won just twice in their last six matches in all competitions which were a 3-0 win at QPR in the last round of the cup and the aforementioned league win over Preston.
To sum up, preston have had a full week to recover and prepare for this cup-tie whereas Sheffield United were involved in an energy-sapping cup match with Tottenham just a few days ago. I’ll therefore back the hosts to edge this one, but it may well be a low-scoring affair. Preston to win perhaps 1-0.
Pick: Preston North End straight win @ 2.20 Coral
