Lawro’s predictions for FA Cup fifth round and one Premier League game

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has just won the Carabao Cup for the first time, but can he break new ground in the FA Cup too?

Their deeper progress – at last – in domestic cup competitions under Klopp has already seen them make history of sorts; in terms of dates when their previous attempts have ended, they are already closer to a historic quadruple than any Liverpool team of the past, including the all-conquering sides that Mark Lawrenson played in during the 1980s.

Rank/season	Div 1	FA Cup	League Cup	European Cup	Bid over
1.1982-83	Winners	5R	Winners	QF	20 Feb
2.1981-82	Winners	5R	Winners	QF	13 Feb
3.1983-84	Winners	4R	Winners	Winners	29 Jan

“Outside the building, there is already some talk about Liverpool’s quadruple chances this season – but there won’t be anyone speaking about that inside the club,” said BBC football expert Lawro.

“It is the same whenever you are going for more than one trophy at this stage of the season. Of course you know it is possible because you are still in these different competitions, but right now it will all feel a long way off.

“I won the League Cup a few times with Liverpool and I know it gives you a bit of a feelgood factor from winning a trophy early on. But, as a player, you just think ‘we are in the hunt’ when it comes to everything else, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Lawro has made predictions for all eight FA Cup fifth-round ties, to be played over the next seven days, and at the bottom of this page gives his prediction for Tuesday’s Premier League game between Burnley and Leicester too.

When?	Gap	Result	Lawro
TUESDAY
Peterborough v Man City	43	x-x	0-2
Crystal Palace v Stoke	24	x-x	2-0
Middlesbrough v Tottenham	21	x-x	0-2
WEDNESDAY
Luton v Chelsea	23	x-x	1-2
Southampton v West Ham	4	x-x	1-0
Liverpool v Norwich	18	x-x	2-0
THURSDAY
Everton v Boreham Wood	78	x-x	2-0
MONDAY
Nott’m Forest v Huddersfield	6	x-x	2-1

Middlesbrough v Tottenham is being shown live on BBC One. Crystal Palace v Stoke, Luton v Chelsea and Southampton v West Ham are being shown live on the BBC’s digital platforms.

LAWRO’S FA CUP FIFTH-ROUND PREDICTIONS

PL = Premier League	C = Championship
L1 = League One	L2 = League Two
NL = non-league	r = won after replay
H = Home	A = Away

TUESDAY

Peterborough v Man City (19:15 GMT)

Who did they beat?
4R: QPR (C) H		4R: Fulham (C) H
3R: Bristol Rovers (L2) H		3R: Swindon (L2) A

Manchester City got away with one on Saturday at Goodison Park. I just don’t understand how VAR could have taken a look at Rodri’s handball and not awarded a penalty to Everton.

It’s been a tricky few days for Pep Guardiola’s side following their defeat by Tottenham, and they have the Manchester derby to come this weekend too, but I think their trip to London Road will be pretty straightforward.

Peterborough have just reappointed Grant McCann as manager but he has a lot more to worry about than taking on the Premier League leaders – his side are bottom of the Championship and have taken one point from their past six games

I’d imagine Guardiola will make quite a few changes to his team, but the players coming in will still be top class. Posh have conceded an average of two goals a game in the league this season, and I don’t see them keeping City quiet.

Lawro’s prediction: 0-2

Crystal Palace v Stoke (19:30)

Live on Red Button, iPlayer plus BBC Sport website and app

Who did they beat?
4R: Hartlepool (L2) H		4R: Wigan (L1) H
3R: Millwall (C) A		3R: Leyton Orient (L2) H

Crystal Palace drew with Burnley on Saturday but, not for the first time this season, it was a game the Eagles should have won.

They shouldn’t have too many problems seeing off Stoke, though, especially at home.

The Potters have slipped down the Championship table a little bit after going four games without a win and they are not coming into this game particularly fresh either – they have just played three times in the space of a week and were down to 10 men for the last hour of their defeat by Bournemouth.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-0

Middlesbrough v Tottenham (19:55)

Live on BBC One, and Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live.

Who did they beat?
4R: Man Utd (PL) A		4R: Brighton (PL) H
3R: Mansfield (L2) A		3R: Morecambe (L1) H

Middlesbrough knocked Manchester United out in the last round and I’m sure they will fancy their chances of another shock here, especially at home.

Boro’s charge for the play-offs has stuttered a bit because of their poor away form – they lost at struggling Barnsley on Saturday, which shows you what the Championship is like – but they have won seven in a row at Riverside Stadium.

This is going to be a very interesting tie because I don’t have a clue what sort of side Tottenham boss Antonio Conte will put out, or whether they will turn up, performance-wise.

Spurs rolled Leeds over on Saturday but we can’t read too much into that result because of the number of goals Leeds were conceding before Marcelo Bielsa’s departure.

If Tottenham play like they did at Turf Moor against Burnley last week, Boro have got every chance. The same applies if Conte leaves out his best players.

Whether Conte picks Harry Kane and Son Heung-min or not will tell us a lot about Tottenham’s targets this season. Does he fancy a cup run, or is it all about making fourth place in the Premier League?

My thinking there is that Spurs don’t play again until next Monday, when they host Everton. So why not go strong to try to win this one and get in the hat for the quarter-finals?

Lawro’s prediction: 0-2

WEDNESDAY

Luton v Chelsea (19:15)

Live on Red Button, iPlayer plus BBC Sport website and app. Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live.

Who did they beat?
4R: Cambridge Utd (L1) A		4R: Plymouth (L1) H
3R: Harrogate Town (L2) H		3R: Chesterfield (NL) H

Luton have had a brilliant February, winning five out of six games in the Championship, and they are up in the play-off places after beating Derby on Saturday.

When you consider Luton’s wage bill and budget compared to some of the other teams in that division, you can see what a brilliant job Nathan Jones is doing there as manager.

I love it when clubs punch above their weight like that, but it is asking an awful lot for Luton to do it again with an upset here.

Chelsea could easily have won the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, and I just feel they will be too strong for the Hatters even if Blues boss Thomas Tuchel rotates his squad.

Chelsea beat Luton at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round last season, on their way to the final. There’s a different venue this time, but I’m going for the same outcome.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-2

Southampton v West Ham (19:30)

Live on Red Button, iPlayer plus BBC Sport website and app

Who did they beat?
4R: Coventry (C) H		4R: Kidderminster (NL) A
3R: Swansea (C) A		3R: Leeds (PL) H

Both of these sides are going well in the Premier League – Southampton are unbeaten in five games, while West Ham have not lost in four.

What I like most about Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is that, win or lose, he does not make much of a fuss. It’s only a few weeks since they were on a poor run of form, but they have turned that right around recently.

Southampton’s home record is especially strong – they have only lost once at St Mary’s all season – and that’s one of the reasons I feel they might just edge this tie.

It’s brilliant for West Ham that they are still fighting on three fronts at the start of March – the FA Cup, Europa League and the race for Champions League qualification – but I just feel something has to give.

The Hammers only just squeaked past Kidderminster in round four and, with a trip to Liverpool to come this weekend, I just wonder if Hammers boss David Moyes might gamble a bit and leave one or two players out.

With the way it is going for them in other competitions, losing this tie wouldn’t be the end of the world – for starters they are right in the mix for fourth place.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-0

Liverpool v Norwich (20:15)

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live.

Who did they beat?
4R: Cardiff (C) H		4R: Wolves (PL) A
3R: Shrewsbury (L1) H		3R: Charlton (L1) A

I was at Anfield when these two sides last played each other, only nine days ago. Although Liverpool won, I was impressed by Norwich, because they had a real go.

I’m not sure the Canaries will approach this cup tie in quite the same way, though, because they have an absolutely huge home game this weekend against relegation rivals Brentford that I am sure they will be focusing on – it’s obviously much more important for them.

I expect Liverpool will leave out quite a few players who featured at Wembley on Sunday, but Jurgen Klopp’s squad is definitely strong enough to get them through this tie.

The way he is managing now, he is giving games to everyone in his squad.

In previous years, when he didn’t have the same strength in depth, these domestic cup competitions were a nuisance but now he has a strong squad he can use the cups to give players game-time that they wouldn’t otherwise have, and still win the tie.

More games for everyone means they are sharp whenever they are needed, and rotation is not such a big deal full-stop – it means it’s not a problem to rest players, so it is helping them in the Premier League too.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-0

THURSDAY

Everton v Boreham Wood (20:15)

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live.

Who did they beat?
4R: Brentford (PL) H		4R: Bournemouth (C) A
3R: Hull (C) A		3R: AFC Wimbledon (L1) H
		2R: St Albans (L1) H
		1R: Eastleigh (NL) H
		4QR: Barnet (NL) A

You could argue Boreham Wood have already won their own cup final with their victory at Championship high-flyers Bournemouth in round four. It was a superb achievement by the National League side.

It was fitting they got one of the big boys next, and their trip to Goodison Park is one that everyone at the club, and their supporters, can enjoy – they have sold out their allocation of 1,780 tickets and it will be a great night for them all.

I don’t think their run goes any further, though, because if I am Everton boss Frank Lampard then I am picking a strong team to make absolutely certain I win this tie.

Everton lost to Manchester City on Saturday but Goodison Park still has a feelgood factor for Lampard because of their good performance in that game. If they can play like that again, then they will have no problems.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-0

MONDAY, 7 MARCH

Nottingham Forest v Huddersfield (15:00)

Who did they beat?
4R: Leicester (PL) H		4R: Barnsley (C) H
3R: Arsenal (PL) H		3R: Burnley (PL) A

I watched Huddersfield draw 0-0 with Preston at Deepdale a few weeks ago and they didn’t look like scoring – they were really good at keeping the ball but didn’t create much. Mind you, neither did North End.

The Terriers are obviously doing something right though, because they are flying in the Championship and have not lost since 27 November.

Nottingham Forest’s league form is not as consistent as that but they have already had two brilliant wins in the FA Cup, knocking out Arsenal and holders Leicester at the City Ground.

This is a very different kind of occasion, and Huddersfield will be awkward opponents but the City Ground will be bouncing again for this one, which will make a difference.

I’ve been very impressed with Forest since Steve Cooper took charge, and they’ve got a couple of players in Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson who can definitely play at higher level.

Huddersfield don’t concede many goals, and both teams play good football, so there will be no ‘crash, bang, wallop’ from whoever makes it into the quarter-finals, but I am going with Forest to edge it.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-1

Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.

How did Lawro do in round four of the FA Cup?

Lawro successfully picked the winner in 12 of the 16 ties, with one exact score.

Overall, he has a 71% success rate after making predictions for the 48 ties in rounds three and four.

Premier League predictions

There is also one Premier League game this week, the rearranged match between Burnley and Leicester.

This game was meant to be played in week 22 (on 15 January) and there is still one other fixture from that set of matches to be completed – the north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal. Lawro is currently drawing 70-70 with his guest, grime artist S-X.

Burnley v Leicester (Premier League, Tuesday 19:45)

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live.

It looks like Burnley have made a great signing in Dutch striker Wout Weghorst. From what we’ve seen him do so far, it looks like they’ve pinched him by only paying £12m for him last month.

Weghorst gives them a bit of everything up front and there is real quality to his play too.

He’s helped Burnley improve in the past few weeks and I think they will fancy their chances of scoring against a Leicester side who have struggled defensively all season.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-1

S-X’s prediction: 0-2