English FA CUP
2026-02-14 - Burton Albion vs West Ham United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English FA Cup Fourth Round
Saturday 14th February 2025 - Kick Off 12:15pm
This game is live on TV
Burton Albion
The television cameras will arrive at the Pirelli Stadium hoping to broadcast another FA Cup upset and you have to imagine the Burton Albion supporters are very excited about being able to see the team host an opponent from the top Division. However, there is a dark cloud over the club that cannot be ignored and the priority for everyone associated with Burton Albion is making sure they do not slip back into the fourth tier of English Football.
There are sixteen League games to play, but Burton Albion are 21st in the League One table and they have been struggling for consistency of late. The club have spent over a decade above League Two, but the last couple of seasons have seen Burton Albion finish one place above the drop zone each time, while the FA Cup draw has been kind enough to give The Brewers three previous matches against non-League opponents.
Burton Albion have failed to win any of the last 5 games in all competitions and they have been beaten 3 times in that run. They had only lost 1 of the previous 5 home games, but Burton Albion's most recent fixture here ended in a 1-2 defeat to relegation rivals Doncaster Rovers.
West Ham United
Just when it looked like West Ham United had come through any remaining choppy waters in the Premier League game against Manchester United, Nuno Espirito Santo's men conceded deep into injury time and had to settle for a 1-1 draw. One positive for the manager is that neither Leeds United nor Nottingham Forest were able to win during the week and there is some real momentum behind West Ham United as they take a little break from Premier League Football.
That momentum began in the FA Cup Third Round when a stronger than expected West Ham United avoided the home upset against Queens Park Rangers and edged past the West London club in Extra Time. The Premier League form has improved and West Ham United avoided a third straight Third Round exit in the FA Cup with at that victory last month.
West Ham United have lost 1 of the last 6 games in all competitions and they have won half of those fixtures in normal time, while also beating QPR in Extra Time during that run. The Hammers have won 2 of the last 3 away games played, and the exception is the game at Chelsea when they led 0-2 before losing 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.
In the last Round, Nuno Espirito Santo picked a strong team and he may be keen to do something similar here to take West Ham United forward. Even with that said, you do have to think some rotation will be used to freshen players up, while Jean-Clair Todibo completes his suspension.
Head to Head
This is the first competitive meeting between Burton Albion and West Ham United.
Prediction
There is a big gap between Burton Albion and West Ham United, but we have continued to see evidence that upsets will still happen.
Crystal Palace proved that in the Third Round when losing at Macclesfield and so West Ham United will have to be focused, despite the poor form and overall season that Burton Albion have been having.
They are home and Burton Albion will be hoping the early kick off leads to a sleepy performance from the Premier League club.
The Brewers will need that as they bid for the first upset in the FA Cup run having beaten three non-League clubs to earn a spot in the Fourth Round.
However, Burton Albion have only won 1 of the last 4 games at the Pirelli Stadium and have been beaten twice in that time. They should be able to pose some problems and set pieces will be important, but West Ham United will have too much if Nuno Espirito Santo picks a similar team to the one he selected in the Third Round.
Most will expect one or two more rotations after West Ham United's tough run in the Premier League, but they have momentum and should not want to see that slip away by being upset in the FA Cup.
Even with changes, the squad depth should be enough for West Ham United to fight past Burton Albion in this FA Cup tie.
The home club have never reached the FA Cup Fifth Round and they have made the Fourth Round for the first time in fifteen years. This time Burton Albion have not been given an opponent they would expect to beat and West Ham United can just maintain recent form with a relatively comfortable victory in Staffordshire.
The Pick :
Burton Albion 1-3 West Ham United
