Category Sports News

Wales vs. England at the Women’s Six Nations

Cardiff Principality Stadium Date: Saturday, March 29 Kick-off: 16:45 GMT

Meg Jones, England’s center, claims that the loss of both of her parents will put them “in a different light” when Wales play at Principality Stadium on Saturday.

The 28-year-old quickly lost her parents, with her mother passing away four months later after her father passed away from lung cancer.

Jones, who was born in Cardiff and plays outside center against Wales, will play her first game for the Red Roses since their passing.

This week [on Sunday] is my first Mother’s Day, and this is the first time I have worn an England shirt without both of them, Jones told BBC Sport’s Rugby Union Weekly.

“It’s just about seeing them in a different way, and I always believe they’re in the crowd,” he said. In any case, I would never have seen them.

I’ll have a few moments where I believe they’re all at home, which I’ll see in a few weeks.

They’ll just be cheering me on like they always do in the crowd.

Following her father’s passing, Jones’ mother struggled with alcoholism, which the England back claims spiraled.

The Leicester Tigers’ center has won 21 caps, and the Leicester Tigers’ center is now a volunteer at the charity The Living Room to assist families facing issues like her mother.

“You need the support to get you through that, but it’s really hard to do it on your own,” she continued, “because the idea is to help people with drug and alcohol abuse navigate it.”

Mitchell has since returned to the majority of the faces that contributed to last year’s success at WXV and Six Nations.

Ellie Kildunne, the team’s top full-back, returns to the team like Jones, who scored nine tries and gained more than 300 meters overall at the same time last year.

According to Jones, “Ellie is the 1% in terms of how she views and thinks the game,” and that is the 1% that we would never imagine coming across.

She is aware of the fact that she also has responsibility and accountability for it. She may not realize how much she has accomplished in such a short amount of time, in my opinion.

She is both a special person and a true believer. With her attention to detail, she thinks in ways that are beyond what I can describe.

She is “one in a million” and will do incredible things in this game, whether it is fieldside or off.

The Football Association has charged West Ham with violating their fans’ alleged homophobic chanting during last month’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea.

According to the FA, the club is facing charges of violating crowd control laws.

According to the complaint, “the club failed to make sure its spectators did not behave inappropriately, offensively, abusively, indecently, or insultingly with regard to sexual orientation.”

West Ham issued a statement on Monday, March 3 that “strongly condemns the discriminatory and homophobic chants aimed at opposition supporters.” Days later, the match was played.

The chant was made a criminal offence, and it was declared that it was “wholly unacceptable and has no place in football or anywhere else.”

Four Real Madrid players allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior during their Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid, according to Uefa.

After Real Madrid defeated their city rivals on penalties, Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Dani Ceballos allegedly made gestures toward the home fans.

German defender Rudiger appeared to be slicting his throat, apparently toward the crowd, after the shootout victory, while Mbappe appeared to be doing the same thing.

According to Spanish media, Atletico reported the incidents to Uefa last week.

There is no guarantee that the case will be heard before their quarter-final against Arsenal, where the players could be suspended. On April 8 and the following day, the first game of that tie will take place at Emirates Stadium, followed by the second game of the match.

The four Real Madrid players’ statements read: “An] ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of indecent conduct.”

“Further details regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”

We are down to the last eight teams in this season’s FA Cup, but which of them will lift the famous old trophy at Wembley in May?

Apart from defending Premier League champions Manchester City, none of the quarter-finalists have won any major silverware since the turn of the millennium, and four of them have never won the FA Cup at all.

“We all saw how much winning the Carabao Cup meant to Newcastle fans after their long wait for a trophy”, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.

“Liverpool and Arsenal are out, and City are clearly not the force they were, so this feels like a big chance for the other teams left in it to get some glory – I just hope they try to take it”.

Sutton has made his predictions for all four sixth-round ties and for this weekend’s matches he is up against Brit-nominated DJ and producer Nathan Dawe, who is an Aston Villa fan.

Dawe’s new single featuring vocalist Abi Flynn, Here In Your Arms, is out now.

Villa have not won a major trophy since the 1996 League Cup but are chasing silverware on two fronts this season and are into the last eight of the Champions League]where they play Paris St-Germain] as well as the FA Cup.

“I’m still in dreamland”, Nathan told BBC Sport. “I still can’t believe I am going to Paris in a couple of weeks to watch us in a Champions League quarter-final.

” Honestly, it has not sunk in. I only ever used to hear about these glory days from my dad, but now we are actually able to experience it together. It’s just unbelievable.

“What Unai Emery has done since taking charge in 2022 is just astronomical, and the players and fans are fully on board with what he is doing.

Villa are also going for another top-five finish in the Premier League too, which would be likely to bring them Champions League football again next season.

” If I’m being honest, I am not sure how confident I am about that, because I think all of the club’s attention is going to be on the Champions League and the FA Cup, “Nathan added.

” Winning the FA Cup would be massive, even if the financial rewards are nothing compared to being in the Champions League. It means so much to Villa fans because hardly any of us are alive who have seen us win it.

“Even my dad wasn’t born the last time we won it]in 1957] and winning at Wembley would be very special.

” I’ve been lucky enough to go there a few times with Villa but other than our play-off win when we got promoted in 2019, it has always ended up in misery. “

There are no replays. Games will be decided by extra time and penalties.

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Crystal Palace won at Craven Cottage at the end of February and it is a ground where they have a decent record – they haven’t lost there in their past six visits, since 2005.

The Eagles are a well-balanced team who seem to be improving all the time under Oliver Glasner – they have lost only two of their past 14 games in all competitions.

I’ve found Fulham hard to predict this season because they’ve been less reliable than usual at home, but they are still having a strong campaign – they are in the mix for the Champions League places, and are only three points behind fifth-placed City.

Palace are very strong on the road but they have not played for the past three weeks – their game against Newcastle before the international break was postponed because of the Carabao Cup final.

We often talk about teams needing a rest, but my concern is how that break has affected their momentum.

This is going to be a close game, but I actually fancy Fulham to edge it. Marco Silva’s side have got goals in them, and my gut feeling is that they will get through in 90 minutes.

I just hope both managers go for it properly, and don’t prioritise next week’s midweek Premier League games]Fulham are at Arsenal on Tuesday and Palace travel to Southampton on Wednesday] instead of this tie.

Fulham and Palace have shown this season they have got enough quality in their strongest starting XIs to go all the way in the FA Cup, especially this year when the competition appears so open.

They are both in a great position to finally win a major trophy, so why not try to make history and give their fans something to celebrate?

Palace’s only previous cup success was winning the Zenith Data Systems Cup in 1991.

I can imagine their fans enjoyed that day a lot, but lifting the FA Cup would be on a different planet, and the same goes for Fulham, who have not even been in an FA Cup semi-final since 2002.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Brighton will see this as the chance to get revenge for their 7-0 defeat at the City Ground at the start of February.

I am sure some people felt the wheels had come off for Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler after that result, but instead his side have bounced back and gone on a great run of six wins and one draw in all competitions.

Sometimes getting thrashed like that can have a positive effect on a team, and clear the air.

I remember losing 7-1 at Blackburn Rovers in October 1992, when I was a centre-half for Norwich City, but we had a crate of beer on the coach home to put things right and we were still top of the Premier League table at Christmas. I did get moved up front after that though.

As for Nottingham Forest, they are the only team left in the FA Cup where I could understand it if they rested players this weekend, because of their league position.

They play Manchester United on Tuesday and the finish line is in sight for my boyhood team to finish third and secure Champions League football.

That’s why it’s disappointing to hear about Chris Wood getting injured while playing for New Zealand this week.

Hopefully it is not serious, but it is a blow for Forest if they are without their main number nine for any length of time.

Their game plan won’t change without Wood – they will sit deep and attack on the break, it is just a question on whether it is their A team who face Brighton or not, and my hunch is that Nuno Espirito Santo will make a few changes.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Preston are hard to beat at home and have not lost at Deepdale since 2 November, a run of 15 games.

I’ve seen quite a bit of Paul Heckingbottom’s team this season and they will defend deep, set up in a 3-5-2 shape and make themselves hard to break down.

It’s an old football cliche, but in this case it is very true that the first goal will be extremely important.

Aston Villa have got some brilliant attacking players, but I also always feel like teams can score against them.

If they go behind, they could have problems but I do feel their quality should see them through – depending on Unai Emery’s team selection of course, with a big league game coming up at Brighton on Wednesday.

Villa have got their eyes on numerous prizes and there probably hasn’t been excitement levels like this at the club since Martin O’Neill signed me in 2006.

I’m still backing them here, but it is going to be a cagey game, and they might have to wait to make the breakthrough before a couple of late goals get the job done.

I’m going for Emi Martinez to keep a clean sheet, too. His keepie-uppie antics to wind up Brazil while playing for Argentina this week were another reminder of why he is the best goalkeeper in the world. Anyone who can produce moments like that in a game of that magnitude deserves all the accolades you can get.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-2

Nathan’s prediction: The FA Cup has opened up for us this season, and it feels like we are the favourites now. I just really hope our schedule doesn’t take too much toll on the players and we fall short because of that, but I am looking forward to the rest of the season for sure.

Brighton will be tough on Wednesday so what do we prioritise, even with a quality squad like ours? That part is down to Emery, and he will probably rest a couple of first-choice players on Sunday, but I would love us to go to Preston, put out a strong team and win comfortably. I am not super-convinced that is going to happen anyway though, even if we don’t make lots of changes, because Preston will throw everything at us.

This is such a difficult tie to call.

Bournemouth were the team who started the rot for Manchester City when they deservedly beat them in November, for what was the defending champions ‘ first league defeat of the season.

Back then, they were still ‘ mighty City’, the team who were dominating English football, who hardly ever slipped up.

Who would have imagined that, five months on, they would have lost eight of their next 19 league games and be in the position they are now, with just the FA Cup left as the only thing they can win?

This competition is huge for City now, because it feels so crucial for boss Pep Guardiola to finish such a difficult season with a piece of silverware.

So, it helps him that the Cherries are not in great form, with only one point from their past four league games, and also that they are without two key defenders here, Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, who are both suspended.

City are still far from convincing at the moment, however, and it is hard to know what their strongest line-up is.

Phil Foden’s struggles for England last week were a reminder of how last season’s PFA and FWA Player of the Year has been a shadow of his usual self all campaign, but he is not the only City player to have been well below his best.

Still, there is no chance of Pep saving anyone for Wednesday’s league game against Leicester, even though City have got a real fight on their hands to finish in the top five.

Pep always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway, and he has shown that by reaching the semi-finals for each of the past six seasons – something no other team had done before.

Will City make it to the last four again? Yes… but only just.

Bournemouth are so good with their press that they won’t allow City to easily play out from the back – there are going to be plenty of goals, and I can see it being settled in extra-time.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-3 after extra-time

There were eight Premier League games played in week 29, the last set of fixtures before the international break.

So far, Chris and his guest, Divorce singer Felix, have both got four correct results, with one exact score, giving them both 70 points.

For now, it goes down as a win for the BBC readers – using the most popular scoreline from your predictions for each game, you got five correct results, with one exact score, leaving you on 80 points.

The remaining two games were rearranged because of the Carabao Cup final.

No-one picked up any points from Liverpool’s draw with Aston Villa, which was moved forward to 19 February, so the weekly winner will be decided when Newcastle host Crystal Palace on 16 April – Felix has gone for a 2-1 Palace win.

Chris and Felix also made a prediction for the Carabao Cup final, and they both wrongly picked Liverpool to win it.

We are down to the last eight teams in this season’s FA Cup, but which of them will lift the famous old trophy at Wembley in May?

None of the quarter-finalists have won any significant silverware since the turn of the century, and four of them have never won the FA Cup at all, aside from Manchester City, the defending Premier League champion.

“We all saw how much winning the Carabao Cup meant to Newcastle fans after their long wait for a trophy”, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.

This appears to be a big chance for the other teams still playing, and I just hope they try to take it because Liverpool and Arsenal are out and City are clearly not the force they were when they were.

Sutton has made his predictions for all four sixth-round ties and for this weekend’s matches he is up against Brit-nominated DJ and producer Nathan Dawe, who is an Aston Villa fan.

Here In Your Arms, a new song by Dawe featuring vocalist Abi Flynn, is available now.

Villa haven’t won a significant trophy since the 1996 League Cup, but they are on a quest for silverware this year, reaching the Champions League’s last eight, where they play Paris Saint-Germain, and the FA Cup.

“I’m still in dreamland”, Nathan told BBC Sport. “I still can’t believe I’m going to Paris in a few weeks to watch us play in the Champions League quarter-final.”

” Honestly, it has not sunk in. My dad and I only ever talked about these glory days, but now we can experience it together. It’s just unbelievable.

Unai Emery’s accomplishments since taking over in 2022 are “absolutely astronomical,” according to the players and supporters, who are both enthusiastic about his actions.

” If I’m being honest, I am not sure how confident I am about that, because I think all of the club’s attention is going to be on the Champions League and the FA Cup, “Nathan added.

Even if the financial rewards are insignificant in comparison to playing in the Champions League, winning the FA Cup would be significant. It means so much to Villa fans because hardly any of us are alive who have seen us win it.

The last time we won at Wembley was 1957, so winning would be very special, even for my dad, who was not born.

” I’ve been lucky enough to go there a few times with Villa but other than our play-off win when we got promoted in 2019, it has always ended up in misery. “

No replays are available. Games will be decided by extra time and penalties.

BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds broadcast live commentary.

Crystal Palace won at Craven Cottage at the end of February and it is a ground where they have a decent record – they haven’t lost there in their past six visits, since 2005.

The Eagles are a well-balanced team who seem to be improving all the time under Oliver Glasner – they have lost only two of their past 14 games in all competitions.

Fulham has been difficult to predict this season because they have been less reliable away from home than usual, but they are still leading the charge in the Champions League and are only three points away from City.

Palace are very strong on the road but they have not played for the past three weeks – their game against Newcastle before the international break was postponed because of the Carabao Cup final.

My concern is how the team’s need for a break has affected their momentum, which is something we frequently discuss.

This is going to be a close game, but I actually fancy Fulham to edge it. My gut tells me that Marco Silva’s side have goals in 90 minutes.

I just hope both managers go for it properly, and don’t prioritise next week’s midweek Premier League games]Fulham are at Arsenal on Tuesday and Palace travel to Southampton on Wednesday] instead of this tie.

Fulham and Palace have shown this season that their strongest starting XIs have enough quality to win the FA Cup, especially this year, when the competition seems so competitive.

They are both in a great position to finally win a major trophy, so why not try to make history and give their fans something to celebrate?

The 1991 Zenith Data Systems Cup was Palace’s only previous cup triumph.

I can imagine their fans enjoyed that day a lot, but lifting the FA Cup would be on a different planet, and the same goes for Fulham, who have not even been in an FA Cup semi-final since 2002.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds broadcast live commentary.

Brighton will see this as the chance to get revenge for their 7-0 defeat at the City Ground at the start of February.

After that result, I’m sure some people thought Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler had lost the game, but instead his team have resurrected and have won six games and one draw overall.

Sometimes getting thrashed like that can have a positive effect on a team, and clear the air.

I can recall that Norwich City lost 7-1 to Blackburn Rovers in October 1992, but after Christmas, we had a crate of beer on the coach home to repair the situation. I did get moved up front after that though.

Because of their position in the league, I can see why Nottingham Forest is the only team left in the FA Cup without players resting this weekend.

They play Manchester United on Tuesday and the finish line is in sight for my boyhood team to finish third and secure Champions League football.

It’s disappointing to learn that Chris Wood injured himself while playing for New Zealand this week.

Hopefully it is not serious, but it is a blow for Forest if they are without their main number nine for any length of time.

Without Wood, their game plan won’t change; they will simply sit back and attack on the break, and my guess is that Nuno Espirito Santo will make a few adjustments.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds broadcast live commentary.

Preston are hard to beat at home and have not lost at Deepdale since 2 November, a run of 15 games.

This season, Paul Heckingbottom’s team will defend well, set up in 3-5-2 formation, and make themselves difficult to break down.

It’s an old football cliche, but in this case it is very true that the first goal will be extremely important.

I always believe that teams can score against Aston Villa, despite the fact that they have some excellent attacking players.

If they go behind, they could have problems but I do feel their quality should see them through – depending on Unai Emery’s team selection of course, with a big league game coming up at Brighton on Wednesday.

Since Martin O’Neill signed me in 2006, Villa have seen their eyes on numerous prizes, something that probably hasn’t happened there.

I’m still backing them here, but it is going to be a cagey game, and they might have to wait to make the breakthrough before a couple of late goals get the job done.

Emi Martinez will also keep a clean sheet, too. His keepie-uppie antics to wind up Brazil while playing for Argentina this week were another reminder of why he is the best goalkeeper in the world. Anyone who can put together such high-quality moments in a game of this caliber deserves praise.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-2

Nathan’s prediction: We are now the favorites for the FA Cup this year, and it seems like we are. I just really hope our schedule doesn’t take too much toll on the players and we fall short because of that, but I am looking forward to the rest of the season for sure.

What should we prioritize even with a top-notch squad like ours given that Wednesday will be difficult for Brighton? That part is down to Emery, and he will probably rest a couple of first-choice players on Sunday, but I would love us to go to Preston, put out a strong team and win comfortably. Even if we don’t make many changes, I am not entirely convinced that will happen, because Preston will force us to do everything.

This is such a challenging tie.

Bournemouth were the team who started the rot for Manchester City when they deservedly beat them in November, for what was the defending champions ‘ first league defeat of the season.

They were still considered the “mighty City,” the team that had a history of dominating English football and had hardly ever fallen.

Who would have imagined that, five months on, they would have lost eight of their next 19 league games and be in the position they are now, with just the FA Cup left as the only thing they can win?

This competition is significant for City right now because Pep Guardiola feels the need to come home with a piece of silverware after a difficult season.

So, it helps him that the Cherries are not in great form, with only one point from their past four league games, and also that they are without two key defenders here, Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, who are both suspended.

However, City are still far from convincing right now, and it’s difficult to guess who their strongest lineup will be.

Phil Foden’s struggles for England last week were a reminder of how last season’s PFA and FWA Player of the Year has been a shadow of his usual self all campaign, but he is not the only City player to have been well below his best.

Even though City have a real fight to win against Leicester on Wednesday, there is no chance that Pep will save anyone.

Pep always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway, and he has shown that by reaching the semi-finals for each of the past six seasons – something no other team had done before.

City will they once more make it to the last four? Yes… but only just.

There will be plenty of goals coming up, and I can see it being settled in extra-time because Bournemouth are so good with their press that they won’t let City play out of the back.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-3 after extra-time

There were eight Premier League games played in week 29, the last set of fixtures before the international break.

Chris and his guest, Divorce singer Felix, have received four accurate results so far, each scoring them both 70 points.

For now, it goes down as a win for the BBC readers – using the most popular scoreline from your predictions for each game, you got five correct results, with one exact scores, leaving them on 80 points.

Due to the Carabao Cup final, the final two games had to be changed.

No-one picked up any points from Liverpool’s draw with Aston Villa, which was moved forward to 19 February, so the weekly winner will be decided when Newcastle host Crystal Palace on 16 April – Felix has gone for a 2-1 Palace win.

Both Chris and Felix incorrectly predicted Liverpool winning the Carabao Cup final when they did it.

We are down to the last eight teams in this season’s FA Cup, but which of them will lift the famous old trophy at Wembley in May?

Apart from defending Premier League champions Manchester City, none of the quarter-finalists have won any major silverware since the turn of the millennium, and four of them have never won the FA Cup at all.

“We all saw how much winning the Carabao Cup meant to Newcastle fans after their long wait for a trophy”, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.

“Liverpool and Arsenal are out, and City are clearly not the force they were, so this feels like a big chance for the other teams left in it to get some glory – I just hope they try to take it”.

Sutton has made his predictions for all four sixth-round ties and for this weekend’s matches he is up against Brit-nominated DJ and producer Nathan Dawe, who is an Aston Villa fan.

Dawe’s new single featuring vocalist Abi Flynn, Here In Your Arms, is out now.

Villa have not won a major trophy since the 1996 League Cup but are chasing silverware on two fronts this season and are into the last eight of the Champions League]where they play Paris St-Germain] as well as the FA Cup.

“I’m still in dreamland”, Nathan told BBC Sport. “I still can’t believe I am going to Paris in a couple of weeks to watch us in a Champions League quarter-final.

” Honestly, it has not sunk in. I only ever used to hear about these glory days from my dad, but now we are actually able to experience it together. It’s just unbelievable.

“What Unai Emery has done since taking charge in 2022 is just astronomical, and the players and fans are fully on board with what he is doing.

Villa are also going for another top-five finish in the Premier League too, which would be likely to bring them Champions League football again next season.

” If I’m being honest, I am not sure how confident I am about that, because I think all of the club’s attention is going to be on the Champions League and the FA Cup, “Nathan added.

” Winning the FA Cup would be massive, even if the financial rewards are nothing compared to being in the Champions League. It means so much to Villa fans because hardly any of us are alive who have seen us win it.

“Even my dad wasn’t born the last time we won it]in 1957] and winning at Wembley would be very special.

” I’ve been lucky enough to go there a few times with Villa but other than our play-off win when we got promoted in 2019, it has always ended up in misery. “

There are no replays. Games will be decided by extra time and penalties.

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Crystal Palace won at Craven Cottage at the end of February and it is a ground where they have a decent record – they haven’t lost there in their past six visits, since 2005.

The Eagles are a well-balanced team who seem to be improving all the time under Oliver Glasner – they have lost only two of their past 14 games in all competitions.

I’ve found Fulham hard to predict this season because they’ve been less reliable than usual at home, but they are still having a strong campaign – they are in the mix for the Champions League places, and are only three points behind fifth-placed City.

Palace are very strong on the road but they have not played for the past three weeks – their game against Newcastle before the international break was postponed because of the Carabao Cup final.

We often talk about teams needing a rest, but my concern is how that break has affected their momentum.

This is going to be a close game, but I actually fancy Fulham to edge it. Marco Silva’s side have got goals in them, and my gut feeling is that they will get through in 90 minutes.

I just hope both managers go for it properly, and don’t prioritise next week’s midweek Premier League games]Fulham are at Arsenal on Tuesday and Palace travel to Southampton on Wednesday] instead of this tie.

Fulham and Palace have shown this season they have got enough quality in their strongest starting XIs to go all the way in the FA Cup, especially this year when the competition appears so open.

They are both in a great position to finally win a major trophy, so why not try to make history and give their fans something to celebrate?

Palace’s only previous cup success was winning the Zenith Data Systems Cup in 1991.

I can imagine their fans enjoyed that day a lot, but lifting the FA Cup would be on a different planet, and the same goes for Fulham, who have not even been in an FA Cup semi-final since 2002.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Brighton will see this as the chance to get revenge for their 7-0 defeat at the City Ground at the start of February.

I am sure some people felt the wheels had come off for Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler after that result, but instead his side have bounced back and gone on a great run of six wins and one draw in all competitions.

Sometimes getting thrashed like that can have a positive effect on a team, and clear the air.

I remember losing 7-1 at Blackburn Rovers in October 1992, when I was a centre-half for Norwich City, but we had a crate of beer on the coach home to put things right and we were still top of the Premier League table at Christmas. I did get moved up front after that though.

As for Nottingham Forest, they are the only team left in the FA Cup where I could understand it if they rested players this weekend, because of their league position.

They play Manchester United on Tuesday and the finish line is in sight for my boyhood team to finish third and secure Champions League football.

That’s why it’s disappointing to hear about Chris Wood getting injured while playing for New Zealand this week.

Hopefully it is not serious, but it is a blow for Forest if they are without their main number nine for any length of time.

Their game plan won’t change without Wood – they will sit deep and attack on the break, it is just a question on whether it is their A team who face Brighton or not, and my hunch is that Nuno Espirito Santo will make a few changes.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Preston are hard to beat at home and have not lost at Deepdale since 2 November, a run of 15 games.

I’ve seen quite a bit of Paul Heckingbottom’s team this season and they will defend deep, set up in a 3-5-2 shape and make themselves hard to break down.

It’s an old football cliche, but in this case it is very true that the first goal will be extremely important.

Aston Villa have got some brilliant attacking players, but I also always feel like teams can score against them.

If they go behind, they could have problems but I do feel their quality should see them through – depending on Unai Emery’s team selection of course, with a big league game coming up at Brighton on Wednesday.

Villa have got their eyes on numerous prizes and there probably hasn’t been excitement levels like this at the club since Martin O’Neill signed me in 2006.

I’m still backing them here, but it is going to be a cagey game, and they might have to wait to make the breakthrough before a couple of late goals get the job done.

I’m going for Emi Martinez to keep a clean sheet, too. His keepie-uppie antics to wind up Brazil while playing for Argentina this week were another reminder of why he is the best goalkeeper in the world. Anyone who can produce moments like that in a game of that magnitude deserves all the accolades you can get.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-2

Nathan’s prediction: The FA Cup has opened up for us this season, and it feels like we are the favourites now. I just really hope our schedule doesn’t take too much toll on the players and we fall short because of that, but I am looking forward to the rest of the season for sure.

Brighton will be tough on Wednesday so what do we prioritise, even with a quality squad like ours? That part is down to Emery, and he will probably rest a couple of first-choice players on Sunday, but I would love us to go to Preston, put out a strong team and win comfortably. I am not super-convinced that is going to happen anyway though, even if we don’t make lots of changes, because Preston will throw everything at us.

This is such a difficult tie to call.

Bournemouth were the team who started the rot for Manchester City when they deservedly beat them in November, for what was the defending champions ‘ first league defeat of the season.

Back then, they were still ‘ mighty City’, the team who were dominating English football, who hardly ever slipped up.

Who would have imagined that, five months on, they would have lost eight of their next 19 league games and be in the position they are now, with just the FA Cup left as the only thing they can win?

This competition is huge for City now, because it feels so crucial for boss Pep Guardiola to finish such a difficult season with a piece of silverware.

So, it helps him that the Cherries are not in great form, with only one point from their past four league games, and also that they are without two key defenders here, Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, who are both suspended.

City are still far from convincing at the moment, however, and it is hard to know what their strongest line-up is.

Phil Foden’s struggles for England last week were a reminder of how last season’s PFA and FWA Player of the Year has been a shadow of his usual self all campaign, but he is not the only City player to have been well below his best.

Still, there is no chance of Pep saving anyone for Wednesday’s league game against Leicester, even though City have got a real fight on their hands to finish in the top five.

Pep always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway, and he has shown that by reaching the semi-finals for each of the past six seasons – something no other team had done before.

Will City make it to the last four again? Yes… but only just.

Bournemouth are so good with their press that they won’t allow City to easily play out from the back – there are going to be plenty of goals, and I can see it being settled in extra-time.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-3 after extra-time

There were eight Premier League games played in week 29, the last set of fixtures before the international break.

So far, Chris and his guest, Divorce singer Felix, have both got four correct results, with one exact score, giving them both 70 points.

For now, it goes down as a win for the BBC readers – using the most popular scoreline from your predictions for each game, you got five correct results, with one exact score, leaving you on 80 points.

The remaining two games were rearranged because of the Carabao Cup final.

No-one picked up any points from Liverpool’s draw with Aston Villa, which was moved forward to 19 February, so the weekly winner will be decided when Newcastle host Crystal Palace on 16 April – Felix has gone for a 2-1 Palace win.

Chris and Felix also made a prediction for the Carabao Cup final, and they both wrongly picked Liverpool to win it.