Arsenal suffered a disappointing FA Cup exit when hosting Manchester United but can bounce back with a Premier League triumph over Cardiff. The Gunners had previously impressed when beating Chelsea in this competition, whereas the Bluebirds are languishing in the bottom three.
Sheffield Wednesday will take a big travelling support for Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Chelsea and have vowed to “give it a go” against the holders. The Owls do not have a good recent record in this event but their interest seems to have been rejuvenated by a third-round replay win at Luton.
West Ham have already beaten AFC Wimbledon away in the EFL Cup this season and we see no reason for a different result when they meet in the FA Cup. The Dons did have Rod McDonald sent off after 18 minutes when leading, but a much-changed Hammers line-up still ran out worthy 3-1 winners.
Millwall have generally been playing well in the Championship of late and are fancied to give Everton a tough test in the FA Cup. Toffees boss Marco Silva looks to be taking this competition seriously after fielding a strong team in the last round, so a close encounter could be on the cards at The Den.
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.
Burton will only be playing for pride when hosting Manchester City in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final but that may be enough to spur them on to be competitive. The visitors look sure to make a number of changes from the side which romped to a 9-0 win in the opening encounter.
West Brom are going through a little rocky patch but the Trueform rating they received for a 4-0 win at Rotherham shows they have the scope to outclass Bolton. Wanderers have lost 12 of their last 17 Championship matches and are odds-on to be relegated, so the Baggies can get back on track.
Huddersfield caretaker boss Mark Hudson faces a baptism of fire when Premier League champions Manchester City visit John Smith’s Stadium on Sunday. Under-23 coach Hudson will fill the void left by David Wagner’s shock departure and could hardly have been handed a more daunting first test.
Newcastle enjoyed a confidence-boosting FA Cup win at Blackburn in midweek and can build on that by beating Cardiff in the Premier League. The Magpies are currently third from bottom in the table, a point behind the Bluebirds, but boast a more talented squad in our book.
Norwich need a win to get their automatic promotion bid back on track and are tipped to shade a tight tussle with Birmingham in the Championship. The Canaries have slipped out of the top two on goal difference after four league games without a victory, but haven’t been playing badly.
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.
Millwall should be full of confidence following a run of four straight victories and can continue their resurgence by seeing off Blackburn. The Lions are looking to pull further clear of the Championship relegation zone and face a Rovers team which has been struggling on the road recently.
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.