Chelsea-Liverpool clash tops FA Cup fourth round

By Vic Mills

LONDON (JP): The FA Cup again ousts the Premiership in England this weekend with the fourth round of the competition taking place. The most compelling tie is Chelsea versus Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The bad news for the Kings Road faithful is that Liverpool, after a worrying slump, returned to form last weekend with an emphatic 3-0 win over Aston Villa. The fluid pass-and-move style was clearly evident as was that touch of Anfield arrogance.

Injuries and likely tactical selections suggest that manager Roy Evans will not name his side until just before kickoff. The centerback formation remains uncertain with Phil Babb and Neil Ruddock, out injured last week, vying for places alongside Mark Wright, Dominic Matteo and new signing Bjorn Kvarme from Rosenborg who made his debut against Villa.

In midfield, the return of a fit again Jamie Redknapp has provided much needed balance, while at the same time easing the burden on Steve McManaman. The intensity of the tie may see a recall for the experienced Michael Thomas, although with a goal on his debut last weekend, local teenager Jamie Carragher may well retain his place.

Having beaten Liverpool with a Roberto Di Matteo goal on New Year's Day, Chelsea will not be short of confidence.

In his first year in the managerial hot seat, Ruud Gullit has forged an intriguing mix of the brave and the beautiful at Stamford Bridge. Strong, forceful and capable of the spectacular, none comes more brave than Mark Hughes.

His primary objective on Sunday will be to unsettle the Liverpool defense and create openings for the Italian trio of Di Matteo, Zola and Vialli. Employed as a substitute in recent matches, a game against the Premiership leaders would be the perfect comeback for the charismatic Vialli.

Logic dictates that the sides will cancel each other out with the game going to a replay at Anfield. However, logic and the F.A. Cup make for uneasy partners. As with all such matches, an early goal would open the game out and ensure a classic cup tie in the making.

Showdown

In the other Sunday tie, Nottingham Forest travels to St James' Park for an unenviable showdown against Newcastle United and new manager Kenny Dalglish.

League positions, Newcastle fourth from top, Forest fourth from bottom, suggest a comfortable home win. A charitable home defense and improved Forest form would indicate otherwise.

Having squandered a two-goal lead in their last two Premiership games, Dalglish and defensive coordinator Mark Lawrenson will have impressed the need among his defenders for discipline, tight marking and retaining possession in the last third of the pitch. All the above have been found wanting in recent weeks.

A record of 23 goals in 23 Premiership games does not mark Forest down as a dangerous side going forward. Yet with five wins from seven games and a growing confidence under new manager Stuart Pearce the Midlands side is not without a chance.

The remaining all-Premiership ties see Manchester United entertain Wimbledon at Old Trafford, while in the Midlands Derby County and Aston Villa clash at the Baseball Ground.

Unkindly billed as beauty against the beast, Wimbledon takes its ugly but effective aerial game to United's Stadium of Dreams. No longer the stuff of dreams, Wimbledon continues to challenge for honors on three fronts this season. Nor is it averse to causing the occasional FA Cup upset as it proved in 1988 by beating favorite Liverpool 1-0 in the final.

Although manager Alex Ferguson has described its recent form as modest, Manchester United nevertheless has now gone eleven Premiership games without defeat. Indeed, a win next Wednesday at home to Wimbledon would see it replace Liverpool at the top.

Recent results have much to do with the return to fitness of Ryan Giggs and the improved form of Eric Cantona. The Welsh winger has been a revelation of late and his partnership with the mercurial Frenchman is not a prospect the Wimbledon defense will relish.

The all-Midlands tie between Derby County and Aston Villa has all the markings of a draw. Derby has home advantage and will need every ounce of support to overcome a durable Villa side capable of going to Wembley.

Under threat

Premiership clubs under threat in this fourth round include Leicester City, which entertains Norwich City of the first division, and Sheffield Wednesday, which faces a tricky away tie against high-flying Carlisle United of the third division.

Two third round replays also offer a nervous afternoon for Premiership clubs as struggling West Ham has a far from easy home tie against second division Wrexham and Leeds United which, should it beat first division Crystal Palace, has been drawn away to Arsenal in the fourth round.

The two remaining non-league clubs in the competition have a chance, albeit very slim, of joining the ranks of giant-killers. Woking travels to Highfield Road to play a third round tie against inconsistent Coventry City (the winners to play Blackburn away in the fourth round), while Hednesford Town, conquerors of second division York City, has a home tie against much troubled Middlesbrough.

Fixtures

Jan. 25: English F.A. Cup third round: Brentford v Manchester City, Coventry v Woking. English F.A. Cup third round replays: Leeds v Crystal Palace, West Ham v Wrexham. English F.A. Cup fourth round: Birmingham v Stockport, Carlisle v Sheffield Wednesday, Everton v Bradford, Gillingham or Derby v Notts County or Aston Villa, Hednesford v Middlesbrough (at Middlesbrough), Leicester v Norwich, Luton or Bolton v Chesterfield, Manchester United v Crewe or Wimbledon, Portsmouth v Reading, Queens Park Rangers v Barnsley. English division one: Ipswich v West Bromwich, Swindon v Grimsby, Oldham v Huddersfield, Port Vale v Southend. English division two: Blackpool v Millwall, Bristol City v Bournemouth, Burnley v Preston, Gillingham v Plymouth (provisional), Rotherham v Crewe (provisional), Walsall v Notts County (provisional), Wycombe v York, Shrewsbury v Peterborough. English division three: Barnet v Darlington, Brighton v Rochdale, Cambridge v Hereford, Cardiff v Hull, Exeter v Colchester, Lincoln v Doncaster, Northampton v Hartlepool, Scarborough v Leyton Orient, Scunthorpe v Fulham, Toquay v Mansfield, Wigan v Swansea.

Jan 26: English F.A. Cup fourth round: Newcastle v Nottingham Forest, Chelsea v Liverpool.