It’s that time again when Telegraph Fantasy Football (TFF) managers at the top of the leaderboard hope that their players won’t be rested when the Premier League clubs take to the field in the FA Cup. For the managers hoping to rise up the leaderboard it’s an opportunity to buy players with the potential to score big against lower division opposition. David Parker’s team ‘ENABLE’ currently leads TFF on 1,659 points closely followed by David Burch’s ‘Apostis’ on 1,650. Well known fantasy football managers such as Bruce Baer, Andy Luckhurst and David Browne lurk close by in the top 10.
From 2019, FA Cup Fifth Round ties will be decided on the day. Any match drawn after 90 minutes will be settled by extra time and penalties. In the TFF game, points are not awarded for FA Cup penalty shoot-outs but extra time action does count. If you’re out of the running for the season prize then don’t forget about the monthly (£1,000) or weekly (£100) prizes which could boost your income. Another way to raise money is to sell clothes online.
FRIDAY 15TH FEBRUARY
FIFTH ROUND
QPR 19:45 Watford
This weekend’s 6 FA Cup ties start tonight because it’s a Friday night fixture featuring Queen’s Park Rangers of the Championship against the Premier League’s Watford. QPR have been on a poor run since Christmas and are currently lower mid table so shouldn’t pose much of a threat to a Watford team even if they rest the majority of their first teamers. Watford’s popular defender Holebas has a 2 match ban so won’t be appearing and popular midfielder Pereyra is an injury doubt so probably will be rested.
SATURDAY 16TH FEBRUARY
FIFTH ROUND
Brighton 12:30 Derby
Just two matches with any TFF involvement on Saturday, the first of which is the early kick-off between Brighton and Frank Lampard’s Derby County. A month ago Brighton would have probably considered prioritising the FA Cup but a dip in their league form and table position means Premiership survival should be their main focus so maybe their top scorer Glenn Murray will be in the bench. Derby are in good form and might cause an upset today with Brighton’s focus perhaps elsewhere.
Newport 17:30 Man City
The second fixture is the late match where Manchester City must travel to the Welsh side of the bridge to take on Newport County of League 2. Expectations will be for another one-sided game but the League Two style of play might surprise City. Expect Jesus & Mahrez to start and their top TFF scorers Sterling and Aguero to be rested.
SUNDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
FIFTH ROUND
Bristol City 13:00 Wolves
Two more games on Sunday, the earlier of which gets underway at 1pm and has Bristol City hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bristol City are another Championship side who are still in the Cup. They are sat in the play-off positions at the moment so may see the Cup as an unwanted distraction. Wolves however should treat this competition as their best chance of silverware. They fielded a strong defensive line-up in the last round and their wing-backs Doherty and Jonny are usually a threat with central defender Boly providing aerial power in the penalty box.
Doncaster 16:00 Crystal Palace
At 4pm the second match gets underway and features Crystal Palace versus Doncaster who are occupying a play off spot in League One so might not put up too much of a fight. Crystal Palace will be torn between keeping their Cup run going and the possibility of being sucked into a Premier League relegation battle. A rotated Palace side (without the banned Zaha) should still be strong enough to get through and earn them a place in the next round, just like Shopify could earn you or your business extra money.
MONDAY 18TH FEBRUARY
FIFTH ROUND
Chelsea 19:30 Man Utd
Here we come to the weekend’s big match – Chelsea versus Manchester United. Both teams come into this match off of the back of a high profile loss. OGS lost his first match as United manager in mid-week but more importantly lost Lingard and Martial to injury. Chelsea were drubbed by Man City 6-0 last time out but bounced back last night with a 2-1 away win in the Europa League thanks to goals from Barkley and Giroud (despite resting Hazard). The FA Cup might be considered a lesser competition by these two but the winner here will receive a huge morale boost. VAR is in operation for this match.
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