Parks vs Smiltene - Cup

There is a notable edge to this Cup fixture. When Parks meet Smiltene at the home ground on May 30, 2026, both will sense an opportunity to land a telling blow. O'Neill made five changes for Celtic's midweek win at St Johnstone as he rested some key players ahead of Sunday's clash.

Both camps will view the Cup meeting at the home ground as an opportunity to put a marker down, regardless of where they currently stand. The hosts will hope that the the home ground crowd can inspire a performance, whatever the numbers suggest. Smiltene's away form is hard to read, but they will arrive with the belief that they can trouble their hosts. Carrick has experimented with Noussair Mazraoui in that position but he seems to have fallen down the pecking order, as the less experienced Patrick Dorgu was preferred for the Manchester derby loss.

The touchline duel between the two managers adds another layer of intrigue, with both likely to tweak their setups in search of a decisive edge. Chelsea have been encouraged to consider a surprise move for Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, with former Red Devils midfielder Quinton Fortune believing the Cameroon international could suit their style of football.

Star players on both sides will be eager to make their mark, and the individual duels across the pitch could go a long way to deciding the outcome. The battle in midfield, where both sides look to control tempo, could prove the decisive arena. Paris Saint-Germain finally picked up their first win of the Ligue 1 season as Ferran Torres scored the only goal at Brest.

The market has yet to form a strong view, and the contest looks genuinely difficult to call. With the sides so closely matched, a 1-1 stalemate looks the most likely way this one ends. The ramifications of this result could ripple through the Cup standings for weeks to come, regardless of who comes out on top. 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.