The draw for the Fifth Round of the FA Cup has pretty much set up the bulk of the remaining Premier League sides for success. Only Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Spurs remain of the big six, following Arsenal’s third round collapse against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool getting booted from the competition in a crazy upset at Anfield against West Brom in the Fourth Round.
It leaves Manchester City as the 2/1 outright favourites at Ladbrokes to get their hands on the title. With the Citizens in the Final of the EFL and looking to have a big hand on the Premier League title as well, they remain well on course for a domestic treble, with the Champions League also in their sights this season.
Elite avoid big clashes
The Citizens will make a trip to Wigan in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The Latics claimed a Premier League scalp in the form of West Ham in the last round, having seen off Bournemouth in the third round as well. But the League One leaders will have seen how comfortable City were away at Championship side Cardiff in the last round and must be thinking their Cup dreams for the season are over. This incidentally is a repeat of the 2013 FA Cup Final which Wigan won 1-0.
Chelsea (7/2) will be expected to be fairly comfortable at home against the relegation-threatened Championship side Hull at Stamford Bridge in the Fifth Round, while Manchester United (10/3) will get a trip to either Huddersfield or Birmingham. So there could be an all-Premier League clash there and interestingly the Red Devils lost their first away game this season in the English top flight at Huddersfield. Still, whoever Jose Mourinho’s men face they will be favourites.
Leicester, who are carrying each way appeal to win the tournament outright at 12/1, should be comfortable at the King Power in another favourable draw for them. They play host to Sheffield United from the Championship, but the Blades have been having a really difficult run of form, their season in danger of petering out after looking like a promotion candidate through until around late November.
Tottenham (5/1) first have to fight their way past League Two opposition Newport County in a replay back at Wembley and if they pull off that win, they would go to either Millwall or Rochdale. Brighton get a home game against League Two side Coventry, while Swansea will be out on the road against Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday if they can overcome Notts County in a replay first.
The only confirmed all-Premier League tie then for the Fifth Round is West Brom v Southampton. On the face of the draw though there is a decent chance that there could be at least six Premier League sides in the quarter-final draw. Swansea and Huddersfield are currently the only two Premier League sides left in the competition not at an odds-on price at Sky Bet to be in the quarter finals.