FA Cup fourth round ties - ranked

The FA Cup third round provided the magic we've come to expect from the most famous domestic cup competition in the world.

Fans up and down the country bore witness to shock results (Maidstone United progressing), barnstorming clashes between top teams (Arsenal vs Liverpool) and one of the greatest goals in FA Cup history (Patrick Bamford).

Heading into the fourth round of the competition, we're hoping for much more of the same.

Here's every single FA Cup fourth round game ranked by potential entertainment value.

16. Sheffield Wednesday vs Coventry City

The game that'll likely be the last shown on Match of the Day on Saturday January 27.

Expect a Coventry City win and a rather forgettable game.

15. Leicester City vs Hull City or Birmingham City

Regardless of who wins the replay between Hull City and Birmingham City, Leicester City are probably going to cruise through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

14. Bournemouth vs Swansea City

A fixture we almost fell asleep while typing out.

The only saving grace is that Bournemouth have been surprisingly fun to watch in recent weeks, with Dominic Solanke making a serious case to be in England's Euro 2024 squad.

13. Leeds United vs Plymouth Argyle

Patrick Bamford's James Rodriguez-esque goal in front of a Big John tifo will rightfully go down as one of the greatest moments in FA Cup history.

This game may be worth a worth on the off-chance that he does something similar in the fourth round - hopefully in front of some more Big John tifo.

12. Crystal Palace or Everton vs Luton Town or Bolton Wanderers

Everton vs Crystal Palace was the undisputed worst game of football broadcast on terrestrial television ever (probably).

Luton Town's 0-0 draw with Bolton Wanderers was also pretty horrific, although thankfully it wasn't broadcast live anywhere.

We're not ranking third round ties here however, we're ranking fourth round ties, and the fact that Everton and Palace are two of the four teams Luton have beaten this season in the Premier League makes this a potentially interesting watch - provided they get past Bolton first.

11. West Ham United or Bristol City vs Nottingham Forest or Blackpool

With Europa League and Premier League games to contend with, the last thing West Ham needed was a third round replay, and that's exactly what they got.

Nottingham Forest undoubtedly weren't too happy with setting up a third round replay either.

If both Premier League sides go through as expected however, we could be in for a fun fourth round game at least. The pair played out a surprisingly thrilling game in November, with West Ham eking out a 3-2 win at London Stadium on that occasion.

10. Blackburn Rovers vs Wrexham

Despite the second season of 'Welcome to Wrexham' being a muddled mess, interest in the celebrity-owned club remains strong.

The League Two side have been playing well recently too, and they'll be quietly confident of getting into the fifth round for the first time since 1997 after being pitted against a woefully out-of-form Blackburn Rovers.

9. Liverpool vs Norwich City or Bristol Rovers

After being handed the hardest draw of the third round, Liverpool perhaps breathed a sigh of relief when Norwich City/Bristol Rovers' number was pulled out of the hat on Monday.

Potential game time for youngsters such as Kaide Gordon, Bobby Clark and Conor Bradley will provide some intrigue for Reds fans.

8. Newport County or Eastleigh vs Manchester United

Every single game of football is a struggle for Manchester United right now.

No matter who gets through between Newport County or Eastleigh, they'll cause Erik ten Hag's misfiring side problems.

7. Ipswich Town vs Maidstone United

The lowest ranked team left in the FA Cup, sixth-tier Maidstone United have enjoyed a remarkable run to the fourth round of the competition.

They were perhaps hoping that their reward for beating Stevenage in the third round would've been an away trip to Old Trafford or Anfield, but they'll make do with Portman Road - home of Premier League promotion-chasing Ipswich Town.

6. Watford vs Southampton

An all-Championship clash with the potential of being the tie of the round.

That statement can be written because of how fun their league clash was back in December, when a 96th minute equaliser secured a draw for Watford at Vicarage Road.

5. Sheffield United vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Sheffield United aren't a very good football team; Brighton are a very good football team.

Usually that means that Brighton would beat Sheffield United, right?

WRONG.

They drew 1-1 earlier in the season, so judging by that result this is anyone's game really.

4. Fulham vs Newcastle United

Perhaps no manager needs to win the FA Cup this season as much as Eddie Howe does.

With his team struggling for form in the Premier League and out of the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup may be Howe's job-saver this season.

His side face a tricky fourth round tie though, being pitted against a Fulham side who have recently beaten Arsenal.

3. West Bromwich Albion vs Brentford or Wolverhampton Wanderers

There's a big 'IF' attached to this ranking.

IF Wolves squeeze past Brentford in their third round replay, this could be a barnstorming fourth round tie pitting two local rivals against one another.

2. Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Two of the FA Cup fourth round ties are clearly more interesting than the other 14: Chelsea vs Aston Villa is one of them.

With three wins on the bounce under their belt since Christmas, and games against Middlesbrough and Fulham to come, Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea could realistically go into this game off the back of six consecutive victories.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, have been one of the in-form teams in Europe throughout the 2023/24 season so far, mounting an unlikely Premier League title challenge as a result.

This could be a brilliant game.

1. Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City

Obviously this is top of our list.

Manchester City vs their kryptonite: Tottenham Hotspur in north London.

This has the potential to be an all-time great FA Cup clash.

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