Derby have enjoyed some memorable moments in knockout matches this term and are fancied to prove a class apart from Accrington in the FA Cup. The Rams beat Southampton on penalties in the last round and knocked Manchester United out of the EFL Cup earlier in the season.
Southampton’s priority is to stay in the Premier League but they are still fancied to prove a cut above Championship Derby in the FA Cup at St Mary’s. County showed great heart to come from behind in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Pride Park, but Saints are tipped to show their class in the replay.
Blackburn looked hungrier for FA Cup success than Newcastle when drawing 1-1 on Tyneside and are fancied to go through on home turf. Rovers can afford to give it a go in this competition from a mid-table Championship berth, but the Magpies are focused on a Premier League relegation battle.
Woking are participating in the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in 22 years after knocking out League Two Swindon. Watford, the 1984 finalists, have failed to progress beyond the fourth round in eight of the last nine seasons, reaching the last four in 2015/16.
Newport enjoyed a good run in the FA Cup last term and are fancied to rise to the occasion again when hosting Leicester in this season’s third round. The Welsh outfit beat Leeds at this stage 12 months ago and then earned a Wembley replay when drawing 0-0 with Tottenham at Rodney Parade.
Tottenham begin their quest for a first FA Cup triumph since 1991 with a fairly straightforward test at Tranmere. Spurs prevailed 4-0 when these teams met in this competition at White Hart Lane back in 2002, having prevailed by the same scoreline at Prenton Park in the EFL Cup four months earlier.
The romance of the FA Cup will be alive and well when 1953 winners Blackpool entertain Arsenal, who have lifted this trophy a record 13 times. These famous old clubs have already met in the EFL Cup this season, with the Gunners scraping through 2-1 after each side had a man sent off in the second half.
Real Madrid are red-hot favourites to secure a third straight FIFA Club World Cup success when coming up against Al Ain in Abu Dhabi. European teams have lifted this trophy for the past five years, with their opponents only managing to score in one of those finals.
Celtic only need a point to progress from their Europa League pool and that makes a draw look tempting when they host RB Salzburg. The Austrian outfit have already wrapped up top spot in Group B and may also be content to just protect this season’s unbeaten record in all competitions.
Rangers need to win their final Europa League Group G match to reach the knockout rounds but Rapid Vienna will be a tough nut to crack in Austria. Dietmar Kuhbauer’s side were beaten 3-1 at Ibrox but have taken four points from home games against Spartak Moscow and Villarreal.
Arsenal have already wrapped up top spot in their Europa League pool but are still hard to oppose when hosting Qarabag. The visitors cannot qualify and went down 3-0 when these teams met in Azerbaijan back in early October, so there is no obvious reason for them to fare any better in London.
Chelsea are sure to make changes to the team which stunned Manchester City on Saturday but have the strength in depth to see off Vidi in Hungary. The Blues are chasing a sixth straight Europa League victory in Group L and have only conceded one goal in the previous five fixtures.
Valencia and Manchester United pretty much already know their fate in Champions League Group H and that could lead to this being a low-key affair. There is still a slim chance of the Red Devils pipping Juventus to top spot, should they win and the Italian giants slip up at Young Boys.
Manchester City have qualified for the Champions League knockout rounds but still need something from their clash with Hoffenheim to make sure of top spot. That should encourage Pep Guardiola to field a strong side against opponents who must win to have any hope of a Europa League place.