A heavyweight clash between Manchester City and Liverpool headlines the FA Cup quarter-finals, and Michael Owen gives his verdict on all four ties.
It’s the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend, and the tie of the round is undoubtedly Manchester City at home to Liverpool. What a massive draw that is, and based on current form and with home advantage, as much as it pains me to say it, I’m going for a Manchester City victory with something like a 3-1 win for the Cityzens.
Chelsea, well they’ve drawn Port Vale and probably got a little bit lucky with a lower-league team as well as a home tie. I fancy a pretty straightforward win for Chelsea, even if Leroy Rosenior decides to play their reserve team. I just think they will have too much quality for the League 1 side, and I’m going for an easy 4-0 victory for the Blues.
Southampton have home advantage, but unfortunately they face Arsenal. The Gunners sit top of the Premier League and even with their second team out, I think they’ll dispose of Southampton. Arsenal have such a strong squad, and confidence seems to be very high at the minute so I’m thinking that the Gunners will comfortably dispatch the Valiants with a 3-0 scoreline.
And so, onto the last quarter-final which features West Ham United against Leeds United. I actually found this match the hardest one to predict as a lot will depend on what teams the respective managers put out. Remember that both teams are fully involved in a relegation dogfight at the bottom of the Premier League, so I’m thinking that maybe one of the managers will prioritise the FA Cup or the Premier League, but let’s wait and see. Home advantage could pay here, and I’m going for a 2-1 victory for the Hammers.
Michael Owen’s FA Cup Quarter-Final Predictions:
- Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool
- Chelsea 4-0 Port Vale
- Southampton 0-3 Arsenal
- West Ham United 2-1 Leeds UnitedÂ
