FA Cup fourth round: Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa and more in action this weekend
The big talking points analysed ahead of the FA Cup fourth round weekend as Birmingham take on Leeds, Arsenal face Wigan, Wolves travel to Grimsby, Oxford host Sunderland and Fulham face Stoke on Sunday
Saturday 14 February 2026 19:57, UK
Leeds mustn't be complacent ahead of Birmingham test
Birmingham City vs Leeds United - Sunday, 12pm
Leeds have enjoyed an impressive recent spell but with attention turning back to the FA Cup, Daniel Farke's side will have to be wary of the Birmingham challenge ahead.
Form suggests that Farke's Leeds have finally cracked the code and adapted to the top flight. After 100 points in the Championship last season, there were question marks as to whether Farke was the right man to oversee a Premier League return.
Despite a difficult start, a run of just two losses in 13 games and a six-point buffer on the drop zone with 12 games to go would suggest the transition has been a positive one.
However, with the FA Cup offering an opportunity for Farke's side to continue the good feeling at Elland Road, they'll have to beat a Birmingham side that is also in strong form.
The Blues are unbeaten in their last eight matches and sit 10th in the Championship. Leeds, who have been drawn away from home in 37 of their 47 FA Cup ties since 2000, fell behind at Derby County before going on to win 3-1.
Ben Brereton Diaz's opener at Pride Park was a reminder that, as they are now a Premier League outfit, away from home, there's an added potential of a scalp.
William Bitibiri
Wolves face classic cup test at Grimsby
Grimsby Town vs Wolves - Sunday, 1.30pm
The last thing rock-bottom Wolves needed was a tricky FA Cup tie on a mud-bath pitch, but that is what awaits them against giant-killers Grimsby Town at Blundell Park.
The League Two side famously knocked out Ruben Amorim's Man Utd and the Championship's Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, while they've professionally seen off three non-League sides to reach this stage of the FA Cup.
The Mariners are also mounting a promotion push in League Two, unbeaten in their last nine games, winning six, which has seen them reach the cusp of the play-offs after a gritty midweek win over Accrington that left their pitch in a desperate state.
The FA Cup is all that doomed Wolves have left to play for as they look to replicate Wigan's unlikely success in 2013 when they triumphed at Wembley over Man City but were also relegated from the Premier League.
They have at least shown they can avoid a cup upset by thrashing Shrewsbury Town in the previous round. Can they do it on a cold, wet and muddy Sunday afternoon in Grimsby?
David Richardson
Sunderland can end 11-year wait for fifth round appearance
Oxford United vs Sunderland - Sunday, 2pm
The last time these two sides met was at the Kassam Stadium, where it was Oxford United who beat Sunderland 2-0 on the day.
A lot has happened since, with Sunderland, eventual Championship play-off winners, now all but safe in the Premier League, while Oxford languish within the relegation zone in England's second tier.
Regis Le Bris and his Black Cats will be hoping to make more history by progressing past Oxford to earn a first appearance in the fifth round for 11 years.
Despite their formidable home run of unbeaten games coming to an end against Liverpool on Wednesday, Sunderland will be keen to bounce back with a win.
After a 3-0 loss to Norwich on their patch, there will be a feeling that Oxford may not pose as big as an obstacle as the U's would hope. However, it is the FA Cup after all.
William Bitibiri
Potteries trip massive in context of Fulham's season
Stoke City vs Fulham - Sunday, 2pm
Fulham's awkward-looking trip to the Potteries to take on Stoke City on Sunday afternoon is massive in the context of their season.
The Cottagers were flying high in the Premier League after winning every top-flight game in November, only to then hit the buffers either side of the new year, including exiting the Carabao Cup after a narrow loss at Newcastle in the quarter-finals.
Which leaves the FA Cup as the sole remaining chance this season for the west London club to get their hands on a major trophy for first time ever, although a bouncing Bet365 Stadium on a wet February afternoon will be no easy challenge for Marco Silva and his player's.
Overcome it, however, against a Stoke side who have also recently been off the pace in the Championship of late, and without a win since edging Coventry City in the third round on January 10, would stop Fulham's season from petering out and keep alive hopes of silverware at last.
Rich Morgan
Arsenal need Jesus to fire in FA Cup reset
Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic - Sunday, 4.30pm
For Arsenal, the FA Cup weekend comes at a good time. After a tough week in the title race, during which they watched Manchester City came from behind to beat Liverpool, lost Kai Havertz to injury, and dropped points at Brentford, they have a chance to reset.
The injury to Havertz is not thought to be long-term but, in the short term, it heightens the need for other players to step up in Mikel Arteta's forward line. Sunday's game against Wigan might be an opportunity for Gabriel Jesus to build form and fitness.
The 28-year-old has impressed in patches since his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December, contributing four goals and one assist in just 560 minutes of action. But can he find the rhythm and consistency Arsenal need for the run-in?
Viktor Gyokeres was favoured against Brentford, with Jesus an unused substitute in a game defined by long balls and set-pieces. But with Mikel Merino unavailable as well as Havertz, a positive showing from the 28-year-old against Wigan could benefit everyone.
Jesus needs minutes. Gyokeres needs the competition. And, after a difficult week, Arsenal need a player to step up and provide some attacking spark. Jesus, a menace to any defence at his free-wheeling best, is more than capable of making a difference.
Nick Wright
Macc attack gunning for another upset
Macclesfield vs Brentford - Monday, 7.30pm
Macclesfield can't do it again, can they? This year's FA Cup darlings are on the hunt for another giant-killing - and they're in red-hot form.
The Silkmen stunned holders Crystal Palace on their 3G pitch early last month and haven't looked back. John Rooney, brother of Wayne, has overseen six wins from their last seven league games to power into the National League North play-off race.
They've scored a staggering 22 goals during this spell, with forward D'Mani Mellor netting seven of them and Macclesfield have continued their excellent home record, having taken 33 points from 16 games.
Brentford are humble enough and surely wise enough, under Keith Andrews, not to take them lightly. Palace rotated their team and were embarrassed by a side 117 league places below them.
There are 114 clubs between these two now but, on a Monday night in Macclesfield, that gap could feel a whole lot smaller.
David Richardson
