Graeme Le Saux on the FA Cup: United can bounce back but Chelsea may struggle

Graeme Le Saux
16 March 2018

Graeme expects Man Utd to bounce back against Brighton

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Betfair Ambassador Graeme Le Saux gives his verdict on every FA Cup Sixth Round game as well as his best bets and tips...

"For Spurs, winning the FA Cup has to be more important than finishing in the top four, I just think it gives them something tangible at the end of the season and it would be huge for the club."

Swansea City v Spurs
Saturday, 12:15 GMT
Live on BT Sport

Swansea are a totally different outfit under Carlos Carvalhal, some people were quite critical of the appointment when he came into the club but he's been a revelation. They've had a relatively kind draw up to this point and I'm of the opinion that this cup run has had a lot to do with their upturn in the league. That being said, their focus must of course remain on the league and this game is almost a bonus that they've earned through some excellent performances.

Spurs were under a lot of pressure in the first half last week against Bournemouth, the 4-1 scoreline perhaps flattered them and they'll also be coming to terms with the disappointment of losing Harry Kane for an extended period.

Swansea, like the Cherries, will be dangerous as they'll be playing without any pressure and Mauricio Pochettino may need another big performance from Son who has been excellent in recent weeks; he offers the manager more flexibility in the final third.

We're at that point in the season where Spurs will need to keep their energy levels up, for me they're still vulnerable when it comes to knowing how to close out games and perhaps that's where Swansea could take advantage.

For Spurs, winning the FA Cup has to be more important than finishing in the top four, I just think it gives them something tangible at the end of the season and it would be huge for the club. Don't forget, if they make it to the final, it's effectively a home game!

Man Utd v Brighton
Saturday, 19:45 GMT
Live on BT Sport

Man Utd come here off the back of three excellent results in the league, of which their best performance was easily against Liverpool. Everything you expected of them that day, they delivered and that came without Paul Pogba on the pitch. However they weren't up to scratch in the first half against Chelsea and Crystal Palace and obviously they completely fell apart against Sevilla.

They must go out and play to their highest level this weekend and answer those critics that are questioning what they're doing and what the manager is up to. Jose needs to instil some positivity in the players and in turn find some consistency as a team. Like Spurs, this cup will define their season.

Brighton have come through a difficult set of fixtures with flying colours. They've got players in form - particularly defensively - and taking last week's performance against Everton out of the equation, I've been really impressed. This fixture is something they can definitely look forward to and I think they'll give a really good account of themselves but I expect United to bounce back after their midweek slump.

Wigan v Southampton
Sunday, 13:30 GMT
Live on BBC One

Clearly Wigan should be favourites for this, having knocked out Manchester City... They were only the third team to stop Guardiola's men scoring this season. This is definitely the draw they would've hoped for and being at home is a huge bonus, their destiny is very much in their own hands.

For Southampton, they've played better than their results have shown but they're vulnerable at both ends of the pitch. They've let in 44 goals which is relatively low in the context of the league but when they do concede it seems to cost them and they just haven't been able to get their heads back in front at the other end of the pitch. Mark Hughes brings with him a huge amount of experience and he seems to improve teams immediately; I think it's a good move for the club and it's a good opportunity for him to have an impact.

Leicester v Chelsea
Sunday, 16:30 GMT
Live on BBC One

Chelsea - another team that needs to win the FA Cup - especially as it seems increasingly like they're still fairly unlikely to qualify for the Champions League. They're relying on other teams to falter so the FA Cup becomes increasingly important to come out of the season with something to shout about.

It was a turning point for them in 1997 and it became a base for their subsequent success and they need to channel that on Saturday. I think they'll approach this game with a similar level of intensity as to when they played Barcelona and to my eye, they played better in the Champions League this year than they have in the league. Individual mistakes have cost them this season and they'll need to watch out again.

Leicester present a tricky test, as a legacy of their league winning season, the likes of Vardy and Mahrez are very much getting back to their best, primarily thanks to Claude Puel. There's a lot of things that could've distracted them this year but he's managed each situation tremendously well.

In any given fixture, they're well capable of producing something special and I think Leicester will really enjoy this challenge. They'll be desperate to upset the big boys once again and Chelsea will need to recover quickly - both mentally and physically - from such a big game in midweek.

Graeme's Weekend Wager

Back Liverpool, Stoke & Crystal Palace all to win at 15/2, OddsBoosted from 15/2 (Sportsbook)

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