Hanwell Town vs Dover - FA Cup

The FA Cup returns to the home ground on October 3, 2026, where Hanwell Town and Dover will lock horns in a contest that could shape their respective campaigns. Just as was the case in the previous meeting between the teams in April of last year, when Emery's side gave them such a scare in the Champions League tie at Villa Park, PSG were hanging on at the end.

There is little to choose between Hanwell Town and Dover on paper, and the FA Cup encounter should reflect that balance. The hosts will be looking to find their rhythm and put a run of results together. Dover's away form is hard to read, but they will arrive with the belief that they can trouble their hosts. Inter want to sign Curtis Jones, but as things stand their valuation falls well short of Liverpool's, especially in a market when other Premier League proven players in his position have moved for such big fees.

Set-piece efficiency and transition play often decide fixtures of this nature, and both managers will have been drilling those phases on the training ground. And his efficiency in possession will be helped by those whom he now shares a dressing room with, allowing a more progressive midfielder to develop akin to City's style.

Individual moments of quality could tip the balance. Both sides possess players capable of producing something out of nothing, and a single flash of brilliance may be all that separates them. Whoever wins the individual duel between the two sides' chief playmakers is likely to dictate the rhythm and, ultimately, the destination of the points. But United aren't budging—they still consider the Slovenian striker central to Michael Carrick's long-term project at Old Trafford.

The market has yet to form a strong view, and the contest looks genuinely difficult to call. A share of the spoils looks the most probable outcome, with neither side holding a decisive edge — a 1-1 draw feels like a fitting result. With positions in the FA Cup table to defend and momentum to chase, neither side can afford to leave anything in the tank. And Fonseca does not place too much weight on the decision of Roberto Martinez to omit him from the World Cup squad in favour of his Benfica team-mate Tomas Araujo.