FA Cup

All eyes will be on Wayne Rooney when Derby take on his former club Manchester United in an intriguing FA Cup fifth-round tie at Pride Park. The Red Devils’ record goalscorer has done well for the Rams since joining from DC United in January and is sure to be fired up for this contest.

Having completed a hat-trick of EFL Cup triumphs, Manchester City should move closer towards back-to-back FA Cup victories when visiting Sheffield Wednesday. Garry Monk’s Owls are a mid-table Championship outfit who have lost five of their last seven fixtures at Hillsborough in that division.

Arsenal’s surprise Europa League exit may prove unfortunate for Monday night’s FA Cup fifth-round opponents Portsmouth at Fratton Park. The Gunners should now be able to prioritise this competition more and are expected to prove too strong for the League One outfit in this televised tie.

Newcastle’s winter break has been shortened by a frustrating FA Cup replay and we fear Oxford could feel the backlash at Kassam Stadium. The Magpies wasted numerous opportunities to settle this tie at St James’ Park but Steve Bruce still seems committed to chasing a good run in the competition.

Chelsea beat Hull 4-0 in the FA Cup fifth round a couple of years ago en route to lifting the trophy and will seek to tame the Tigers again in round four this term. The Blues have to travel up to KCOM Stadium this time, but have picked up more points on the road than at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Manchester United should get past League One Tranmere in the FA Cup fourth round but are unlikely to have things all their own way at Prenton Park. An old-fashioned muddy pitch and opponents who like to get the ball into the box is a combination which could give the Red Devils some uneasy moments.

Shrewsbury are expected to find Liverpool too strong at New Meadow but a decent FA Cup pedigree suggests they will not go down without a fight. Town reached the quarter-finals in 1979 and 1982, knocked out Everton in 2003 and have held West Ham and Wolves to draws here in the past couple of seasons.

Wayne Rooney has made an immediate impact at Derby and can help inspire County to an FA Cup fourth round victory at League Two Northampton. The Cobblers have been playing well at their own level, though, scoring plenty of goals in a six-match unbeaten run, so this should be an entertaining tie.

Tottenham are in need of a fillip following a tough run of results and should be up for Tuesday’s televised FA Cup replay against Middlesbrough. Spurs had over 70 per cent of possession when drawing 1-1 at the Riverside and are again expected to control play for long periods in London.

David Moyes has been hired to keep West Ham in the Premier League but he won’t shy away from also chasing a good FA Cup run, starting out at Gillingham. The Scot took Everton to the final back in 2009 and will be keen to build on a flying start to his second spell in charge of the Hammers.

Newcastle have a crippling injury list ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup trip to Rochdale and that could make them worth opposing at Spotland. Dale are only 18th in League One but did take Manchester United to penalties in the EFL Cup after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Brighton will go into their FA Cup quarter-final against Millwall at The Den in great spirits following back-to-back victories in the Premier League. That should allow Albion to fully focus on reaching the semis at Wembley, especially as this game comes before an international break.

Bristol City will be looking to make it a perfect 10 straight wins when entertaining Wolves in the FA Cup at Ashton Gate on Sunday. The Robins have already seen off one Premier League side in Huddersfield in this competition and should go into this clash full of confidence.