Go Hard or Go Home is the name of a new sports-themed BBC Three reality show, but it could also be Erik ten Hag’s motto as he looks to win more trophies with Manchester United.
After winning the Carabao Cup on Sunday, Ten Hag turns his attention to the FA Cup next, with his side hosting West Ham in the fifth round on Wednesday.
BBC Sport’s football expert Chris Sutton expects United to be hungry for more success, saying: “Ten Hag seems to go hard in every competition he plays in.
“I really like that approach of trying to win as much as possible. The players are clearly hungry too, and it all fits in with what United fans want to see as well.”
Sutton has made predictions for all eight midweek FA Cup ties and given his verdict on who will progress.
For this week’s ties, to be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, he is up against Paul Olima and Adele Nicoll from Go Hard or Go Home.
Nicoll is one of the ‘Warriors’ who put contestants through their paces on the show, while Olima is ‘Coach’, overseeing the training and introducing each of their challenges, which take place on a tropical island.
Olima also hosts Go Hard or Go Home’s companion podcast Be More Warrior on BBC Sounds, offering advice on fitness and wellbeing.
You can watch Go Hard or Go Home on the BBC iPlayer, here.
Olima played professional football and rugby before becoming a personal trainer and taking up modelling, and worked as a body double for Mario Balotelli, Usain Bolt and Yaya Toure in an eclectic career that has also seen him gain a huge following on Instagram as a fitness influencer.
“I was a striker and modelled myself on Andy Cole,” he told BBC Sport. “I came over from Ireland for a trial with West Ham, then did the same with Scunthorpe United and Bristol Rovers.
“I ended up playing reserve-team football for Dagenham & Redbridge, who were in League Two, then in the first team at Grays Athletic in what is now the National League.
“When I realised I wasn’t really going to make it in football, I went back to rugby later, in my 20s. I’d played a good level when I was in school and I joined Esher, in National League One, and also had a stint with Harlequins, but then I got an injury, and that was the end of that.
“There was a time when I wanted to be a football coach, and I got my Uefa B Licence, but then I started doing stuff online, being in adverts and creating them, and I enjoyed that more than the football side of things.
“I think it’s important that kids who dream of being a footballer, or any type of professional sportsman, know there is more to life than that. I tried and I wasn’t quite good enough, but there are always other doors that open for you if you try different things.”
Nicoll has also shone at multiple sports, competing at shot put for Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games after taking the gold medal in the UK Championships.
Earlier that year, she won a bobsleigh World Cup silver medal in January and then was part of the British squad for the Winter Olympics the following month.
She did play football too, before athletics took over.
“I played everything in school and I was a striker to begin with because I loved sprinting,” she said.
“But then they kind of figured out that I was one of the tallest girls in school so they stuck me in goal!
“I gave it a go – it wasn’t my best sport but I enjoyed it and it was one of the things I played until I got to a point where shot put started becoming serious and I didn’t want to pick up any injuries.
“I was so proud of making it to the Commonwealth Games because a lot of people had doubted me. Now my goals are to make it to a summer OIympics in shot and the 2026 Winter Olympics as a bobsleigh driver – and I want to try to make it at a third sport either internationally or professionally too.”
Nicoll supports Liverpool because of her dad and explained: “I can always tell if they have played well or not by his mood.”
He probably wasn’t too happy after round four – the holders were knocked out by Brighton.
| When? | Gap in league? | Result | Sutton | Adele | Paul |
| TUESDAY, 28 FEB | |||||
| Stoke v Brighton | 29 | x-x | 0-2 | 1-3 | 2-1 |
| Leicester v Blackburn | 10 | x-x | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-0 |
| Fulham v Leeds | 11 | x-x | 2-0 | 3-1 | 1-2 |
| Bristol City v Man City | 31 | x-x | 1-3 | 0-3 | 1-5 |
| WEDNESDAY, 1 MARCH | |||||
| Southampton v Grimsby | 64 | x-x | 1-0 | 1-1 P* | 3-1 |
| Burnley v Fleetwood | 43 | x-x | 2-1 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Man Utd v West Ham | 13 | x-x | 2-0 | 2-1 | 0-1 |
| Sheff Utd v Tottenham | 18 | x-x | 2-1 AET | 1-2 | 2-1 |
AET = After extra-time
* Southampton to win on penalties
There are no replays. If score is level after 90 minutes, ties will be decided by extra-time, then penalties.
Leeds against Fulham and Sheffield United versus Tottenham are being shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
There are also two Premier League games to be played this week, both on Wednesday.
| When? | Result | Sutton | Ben Bruce |
| WEDNESDAY, 1 MARCH | |||
| Arsenal v Everton | x-x | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| Liverpool v Wolves | x-x | 1-1 | 2-0 |
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
These games were meant to take place in week seven, when Chris’s guest was Asking Alexandria guitarist Ben Bruce. So far, three of the 10 matches have taken place and Bruce leads 50-10.
SUTTON’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, 28 FEBRUARY
Stoke v Brighton (19:15 GMT)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: Stevenage (L2) H | 4R: Liverpool (PL) H | |
| 3R: Hartlepool (L2) A | 3R: Middlesbrough (C) A |
Stoke are treading water in the middle of the Championship and it feels like they have been under-achieving for a while now.
Brighton knocked out the holders Liverpool in the last round and, with them doing so well in the Premier League, this feels like a great opportunity for them to have a real go at the FA Cup as well.
The Seagulls have just had a free weekend too, after their game against Newcastle was postponed because of the Carabao Cup final, so there won’t be the same need to rest players here either.
Sutton’s prediction: 0-2
Adele’s prediction: Brighton knocked us out, and they are going to win again here. I actually think they are going to win the FA Cup; and after beating us I hope they go all the way. 1-3
Paul’s prediction: Brighton are going very well, but this will be a cold Tuesday night in Stoke, which is the ultimate test! 2-1
Leicester v Blackburn (19:30 GMT)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: Walsall (L2) A | 4R: Birmingham (C) Ar | |
| 3R: Gillingham (L2) A | 3R: Norwich (C) A |
This should be a good game because Blackburn are doing well – unbeaten in nine games in all competitions, and fourth in the Championship. Rovers play some good football under Jon Dahl Tomasson too.
Leicester, meanwhile, are in a relegation battle. We saw again when they played Arsenal at the weekend that, if James Maddison doesn’t play, they just aren’t creative enough.
Blackburn’s expansive style might suit Brendan Rodgers’ side, though – if they take the game to Leicester, that makes it easier for the Foxes to open them up. The Premier League side also have home advantage.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
Adele’s prediction: 2-1
Paul’s prediction: Leicester need to do something in the FA Cup because they are having a poor season in the league. 2-0
Fulham v Leeds (19:45 GMT)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: Sunderland (C) Ar | 4R: Accrington (L1) A | |
| 3R: Hull City (C) A | 3R: Cardiff (C) Hr |
Leeds got the victory they had been waiting for on Saturday, in Javi Gracia’s first game in charge.
Avoiding relegation is clearly going to be Gracia’s priority from here – they are away at Chelsea on Saturday in their next league match and they will see that as being winnable.
So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gracia rest some of his players and, on that basis, you have to fancy Fulham to progress.
It doesn’t always work out as simply as that, of course, but Fulham do not have to worry about going down so they can view the FA Cup differently. I’m expecting them to give this a bit more of a go, and they certainly should do.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
Adele’s prediction: 3-1
Paul’s prediction: I always think Fulham play better against better teams, so they might just slip up here. 1-2
Bristol City v Man City (20:00)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: West Brom (C) H | 4R: Arsenal (PL) H | |
| 3R: Swansea (C) Ar | 3R: Chelsea (PL) H |
You should know by now that I am a stickler for the correct terminology when two teams called United play, and the same rules apply here.
This is a tale of two ‘Citys’ and I don’t think it will be quite as one-sided as some people might expect.
Bristol City are unbeaten in 12 games under Nigel Pearson and I like the job he is doing there.
They have got some talented young players, including Sam Bell – a 20-year-old winger that a lot of Premier League sides have apparently been watching – and they will fancy their chances of causing an upset.
But Manchester City will be ready and boss Pep Guardiola always picks a strong team in the FA Cup because he wants to hoover up every trophy he can.
His side got a good win at Bournemouth on Saturday and should have too much for the Robins too, but I am expecting spells where Pearson’s side make things difficult for the Premier League champions.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-3
Adele’s prediction: 0-3
Paul’s prediction: Manchester City are just at a different level. 1-5
WEDNESDAY, 1 MARCH
Southampton v Grimsby (19:15)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: Blackpool (C) H | 4R: Luton (C) Hr | |
| 3R: Crystal Palace (PL) A | 3R: Burton (L1) H | |
| 2R: Cambridge Utd (L1) A | ||
| 1R: Plymouth (L1) H |
Southampton looked a bit flat against Leeds on Saturday, in Ruben Selles’ first game since being put in charge until the end of the season.
At least Saints have appointed someone, though, and the players like Selles so I am expecting more from them in weeks to come.
Their next league game is at home to relegation rivals Leicester on Saturday, so of course his focus will be on that. His problem is that defeat here could be very damaging to him.
Grimsby surprised me when they knocked Luton out in the last round and they are in mid-table in League Two so there are no distractions for them there.
More than 4,000 of their fans are travelling south for this tie and they will enjoy themselves whatever the result.
The fact the tie is at St Mary’s will really help Southampton and I do think they will get through, but Grimsby have got a bit of resilience about them and I can see them staying in the tie right until the end.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-0
Adele’s prediction: 1-1 – Southampton to win after extra-time and penalties
Paul’s prediction: 3-1
Burnley v Fleetwood (19:30)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: Ipswich (L1) Hr | 4R: Sheff Wed (L1) Hr | |
| 3R: Bournemouth (PL) A | 3R: QPR (C) H | |
| 2R: Ebbsfleet (NL) A | ||
| 1R: Oxford City (NL) H |
What a job Vincent Kompany is doing at Burnley. They are not mathematically promoted yet, but they are 19 points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough and they are clearly going up – it’s just a matter of time until it is confirmed.
The Clarets are flying in every way and they play great football as well. Their home form is so impressive too – they are unbeaten at Turf Moor all season .
That’s another reason this tie is such a difficult one for Fleetwood, who have never been in the fifth round before.
They have beaten QPR and Sheffield Wednesday to get this far, and are six games unbeaten in League One – all of which is testament to how well Scott Brown is doing in his first job as manager.
Getting past Burnley is something else, though.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
Adele’s prediction: 2-0
Paul’s prediction: I’m a Liverpool fan and I’ll never forget Kompany’s goal for Manchester City against Leicester in 2019 which basically won them the league. A centre-back, doing that from 25 yards. Amazing. It hurt then and it still hurts now. 2-0
Man Utd v West Ham Utd (19:45)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: Reading (C) H | 4R: Derby (L1) A | |
| 3R: Everton (PL) H | 3R: Brentford (PL) A |
My 606 co-host Robbie Savage says Erik ten Hag is the best manager in the world following Manchester United’s Carabao Cup triumph.
Ten Hag is doing an excellent job but I can’t help thinking Robbie has got a bit carried away there, just for a change.
I can see why Manchester United fans are getting excited about what is to come, though. I also see them winning this tie pretty comfortably.
West Ham got a big win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday but they are still in trouble at the bottom of the Premier League table and they will definitely make changes with their weekend trip to Brighton in mind.
The Hammers looked more like the team they were last season with the way they attacked Forest, but we might see their second-string at Old Trafford and the result will reflect that, with a routine home win.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
Adele’s prediction: Marcus Rashford has been scoring some good goals, and lots of them too. 2-1
Paul’s prediction: West Ham didn’t sign me but I could never ever back Manchester United to win, I dislike them so much! I just hope they rest some players for this game. 0-1
Sheff Utd v Tottenham (19:55)
| Who did they beat? | ||
| 4R: Wrexham (NL) Hr | 4R: Preston (C) A | |
| 3R: Millwall (C) A | 3R: Portsmouth (L1) H |
Tottenham are in decent form but this looks like a really awkward game for them. Sheffield United are an aggressive side who will give it everything they have got and Bramall Lane will be rocking.
The Blades only just about avoided being upset by non-league Wrexham in the last round, but I think they will be the ones supplying the shock result this time.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1 after extra-time
Adele’s prediction: It was a shame that Sheffield United knocked out Wrexham, which is close to where I grew up in Welshpool. I am going to have to back Tottenham here – they are a bit hit and miss but they can usually rely on Harry Kane to get them through. 1-2
Paul’s prediction: I don’t think the Tottenham lads will fancy this one. They might not want to be there. 2-1
SUTTON’S PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS
WEDNESDAY, 1 MARCH
Arsenal v Everton (19:45)
Everton gave Aston Villa a decent game on Saturday but they fell back into the bottom three after being beaten, and their big issue is still that they are so short of firepower.
I saw a Tweet from BBC’s chief football writer Phil McNulty about how the Toffees failure to sign a striker last summer or in January could come back to haunt them, and it’s clear Dominic Calvert-Lewin will have a crucial part to play if they are going to stay up.
I don’t even see Everton getting near the goal too often on Wednesday, though. Arsenal have bounced back superbly from their defeat to Manchester City with two wins from two tough away games, against Villa and then Leicester.
The Gunners will have a point to prove after losing at Goodison Park at the start of February – in Sean Dyche’s first game in charge of Everton – and I don’t see them having any problems this time.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
Ben Bruce’s prediction: 3-0
Liverpool v Wolves (20:00)
Whenever I see Wolves, I think they have improved and the only really poor result they have had since Julen Lopetegui took charge in November was their home defeat by Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago.
Liverpool, meanwhile, continue to struggle. They looked disjointed when they attacked Crystal Palace on Saturday and that display showed they have more problems than just a shaky defence.
I think Jurgen Klopp’s side will score this time, but I still don’t feel like I can trust them to win. Wolves don’t score many, but one goal might be enough to get them a draw at Anfield.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
Ben Bruce’s prediction: 2-0
Chris Sutton, Adele and Paul were speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
How is Sutton doing in the FA Cup?
Chris correctly backed 12 of the 16 teams who progressed from round four, while Krept from rap duo Krept & Konan picked 11.
You did slightly better than both of them, with 13 correct predictions.
In the FA Cup third round, Sutton correctly predicted the winners of 19 of the 32 ties, meaning he has a 65% success rate from the 48 games played so far.
How did Sutton do last week?
From last weekend’s Premier League fixtures, Sutton got four correct results from eight matches, with one exact score, giving him a total of 70 points.
So far, he is beating Those Damn Crows drummer Ronnie Huxford, who got five correct results, but with no exact scores, for a total of 50 points.
There are two games still to be played – Manchester United versus Brentford and Newcastle against Brighton – which were both postponed because of the Carabao Cup final. Huxford went for a 3-0 Manchester United win and a 4-1 Newcastle victory and any points that he and Chris score will be added to their totals.
Huxford correctly predicted Erik ten Hag’s team would beat the Magpies at Wembley on Sunday but does not receive any extra points from that game. Sutton said Newcastle would win on penalties.
| Gaz Coombes | 120 |
| Ali Bruce-Ball, Modernlove drummer Cian McCluskey | 110 |
| Liam Fray of The Courteeners | 100 |
| Ian Broudie, GK from Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Corey Deshon, Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno, Editors bassist Russell Leetch, Aaron Moorhead, Phoenix singer Thomas Mars | 70 |
| Chris Sutton (average after 24 weeks) | 69 |
| Ross MacDonald from The 1975, Ryan Porteous | 60 |
| Justin Benson, Al Greenwood from Sports Team, Dapz on the Map, Chesney Hawkes, Ronnie Huxford from Those Damn Crows, Maulo | 50 |
| Blake Bowman, Tom from Dry Cleaning | 40 |
| Jessica McHale, Olivia Chomczuk, Casper van Dien, Oli Shasha from FEET | 30 |
| Juice Menace, DJ Schak, Patrick Whelan | 20 |
| Chris Sutton | 1,660 |
| Guests | 1,550 |
| P24 | W15 | D0 | L9 |
How did you get on?
Unlike Chris and Ronnie, 46% of you saw West Ham’s win over Nottingham Forest coming.
That was one of five correct Premier League predictions you made, and 61% of you backed Manchester United to win the Carabao Cup final as well.
| Position | Correct results |
| =1. Ronnie Huxford | 5/8 |
| =1. You | 5/8 |
| 3. Chris | 4/8 |
*Win, draw, loss prediction based on highest % of vote for each match.
| 1. You | 122/239 (51%) |
| 2. Chris | 113/239 (47%) |
| 3. Guests | 111/239 (46%) |
