1) Rooney in the spotlight at Selhurst
Considering they have been fairly regular visitors over the years, Derby’s record at Selhurst Park is pretty miserable. Indeed in their past 15 trips – a run stretching back to 1983 – they’ve won only once. That victory came in 2002 when Georgi Kinkladze scored the only goal of the game. A big-name big-money player past his peak helping the Rams to an unlikely win in south London? You might be able to spot where this is going. Wayne Rooney made his playing return to English football on Thursday night and played a full 90 minutes in the 2-1 defeat of Barnsley in which his free-kick supplied Jack Marriott’s opening goal. Two games in four days might be aa stretch for a 34-year-old who had not played since October but he could prove quite the talisman: while Derby’s record at Selhurst is poor, Rooney’s is not – he has never been on the losing side at the ground. JA
• Crystal Palace v Derby County (Sunday, 2.01pm, all times GMT)
2) Neil can make former club suffer at Deepdale
Alex Neil and Daniel Farke have at least one thing in common: both men know what it is to lead Norwich City through a campaign in the Premier League’s nether reaches and it is not quite too late, despite their recent results, for Farke’s current vintage to escape the fate experienced by Neil and his crop in 2015-16. They finished 19th that year and, towards the end of the following season, Neil would be sacked. Such is the style and verve Farke has brought to Norwich that it is difficult to envisage a similar outcome a year from now even if they go down, but football moves in mysterious ways. To emphasise the point it is not inconceivable Neil’s Preston North End side, only a point shy of the Championship play-offs even if their festive form was poor, will swap places with his former club in May. He has done an impressive job at Deepdale and it is easy to forget, given that his managerial career began in 2013, he is still only 38. He will fancy his chances of upstaging Norwich for one afternoon, at least: the Canaries have exited in the third round for six straight seasons. NA
• Preston North End v Norwich City (Saturday, 3.01pm)
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3) A step too far for non-League Fylde?
Fylde may be the lowest ranked team left in this year’s FA Cup, but the National League side are by no means the poorest. Financed by local businessman David Haythornthwaite and based at the extremely well appointed Mill Farm complex near the Lancashire town of Kirkham, the Coasters are the envy of their non-League brethren and, like Salford City before them, have been accused of trying to buy their way into the Football League. Fylde’s detractors will be delighted to see that on the pitch this season things have been going rather less swimmingly. Dave Challinor was sacked as manager in October after eight years in charge and while results briefly picked up under Jim Bentley, the club is in in danger of being relegated. Although a trip to Bramall Lane may prove a welcome distraction, getting a result against Sheffield United is likely to prove beyond these ambitious minnows. BG
• Sheffield United v AFC Fylde (Sunday, 2.01pm)
4) Changing fortunes at Spurs and Boro
When the third-round draw was made at the start of December this tie smacked of a routine away win for the Premier League side. Tottenham seemed to have turned the corner, with José Mourinho’s first two games resulting in a couple of 3-2 wins. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, had just been hammered 4-0 by Leeds, a result that extended a dismal run of form to one win in 12 in the Championship and left them perilously close to the bottom three. Jonathan Woodgate was on the brink of the sack, with Neil Warnock reportedly being lined up as a replacement. A month later, though, Boro come into this tie on the back of four wins on the bounce and are beginning to ponder a play-off push, while Spurs’ Christmas hangover has included a draw at Norwich and a defeat at Southampton. All of a sudden this is not a trip Tottenham will be relishing in the slightest. JA
• Middlesbrough v Tottenham Hotspur (Sunday, 2.01pm)
5) A distraction Leeds could do without
Although glamorous enough on paper to have been handpicked by TV executives for the Monday night slot on BBC, in reality Leeds United’s visit to Arsenal may end up being something of a damp squib. With his side leading the Championship at this time last year, Marcelo Bielsa sent a youthful side to play QPR, where they duly lost. Leeds ultimately failed to secure promotion last season, coming up short in the play-offs but they remain in the box-seat to go up automatically at their second attempt under Bielsa. The distraction of an FA Cup run is one they could almost certainly do without and their manager is likely to pick his team for the Emirates accordingly. Following his players’ exertions against Manchester United, Mikel Arteta is also likely to pick a second-string side, although given the insatiable lust of Arsenal fans for the first trophy of the post-Wenger era one suspects a win for whatever team Arsenal field will suit both managers just fine. BG
• Arsenal v Leeds United (Monday, 7.56pm)
6) Assorted Premier League teams not remotely fussed
While in a perfect, happy-clappy world, each and every team would do try their damnedest to win the FA Cup, the benefits of losing in the third round cannot be overstated for Premier League clubs with more pressing concerns. Seven top-flight teams came a cropper at the first time of asking last season and were duly rewarded with an 11-day winter break later in the month while their rivals prepared for and played in the fourth round. After the gruelling Christmas schedule, what manager wouldn’t fancy a period of recalibration in sunnier clines? While helpful, it is worth noting that these impromptu winter breaks are no guarantee of league success – of the seven top flight teams to go out in the third round last season, three were relegated comes the season’s end. BG
7) Bournemouth and Luton both in need of a lift
Quite a lot of water has passed under the bridge since these two sides last bumped into each other in the winter of 2008-09. That season featured two draws between the teams as Bournemouth (who were deducted 17 points after financial problems) finished 21st in League Two and Luton (deducted 30 points for being in a right old mess) ended up dead last, tumbling into the Conference. Since those dark days both clubs have largely been on an upward trajectory (though not in the FA Cup: Bournemouth have been past the third round only twice since then, Luton only once), one that has taken the Cherries into the Premier League and the Hatters to the Championship. But their engines are just beginning to stutter – away defeats five miles apart in London this week are reason for anxiety in both camps. Bournemouth’s 4-0 hammering at West Ham leaves them in the bottom three, while Luton’s 3-1 loss at Millwall left them holding up the rest of the Championship. So both teams need to balance the desire to keep players fresh for their respective relegation battles with the need for a morale-boosting victory. JA
• Bournemouth v Luton Town (5.31pm, Saturday)
8) Minamino can make quick Liverpool impact
Sunday will mark exactly two years since one Virgil van Dijk set a resounding tone for his impact at Liverpool. Van Dijk scored a last-gasp header to win the third-round derby against Everton at Anfield on his debut and, while the other end at the pitch is where he has helped change Jürgen Klopp’s team beyond recognition, as a way of gaining early favour it could hardly have been better. Takumi Minamino may not end up having as profound an impact on Liverpool’s entire balance but the former Red Bull Salzburg schemer is likely to make his own bow. What were the odds of this tie being drawn out again, and what price another arrival to remember? Minamino should be well rested, given his last action was on 10 December against his new club, but more importantly his performance in that Champions League fixture suggested he has the high-intensity style required to hit the ground running. If he can repeat Van Dijk’s impact, it could signify good times ahead. NA
• Liverpool v Everton (4.01pm, Sunday)
9) The Den stages a battle of the giantkillers
These days the FA Cup tends to mean tales of giantkilling derring-do from Mike Flynn and his Newport County side. It has also come to inspire heroics from Millwall, flying under Gary Rowett and currently sitting in the Championship’s top six, have reached the quarter-finals twice in the last three seasons; Newport have beaten Leeds and Leicester since January 2018, also holding Spurs and giving Manchester City a game, so in theory it should not take too much for some blood and thunder to occur. Millwall’s unexpected successcomes at a price though, with Rowett likely to rotate, while Newport have not won in 10 League Two games and will prioritise their climbing into the play-off picture. “The league is our bread and butter, so I’d prefer to have another league game coming up,” their striker Jamille Matt admitted this week. His colleague Padraig Amond should be feeling hungry for more cup success though: Amond has scored in eight successive rounds of the competition, spanning this season and last, and continuing that run this weekend would put him three short of Stan Mortensen’s all-time record. NA
• Millwall v Newport (12.31pm, Saturday)
10) Vale look to ancient history for inspiration
On Thursday, Port Vale were held to a 2-2 draw at home by crisis club Macclesfield Town in League Two. On Saturday they travel to Manchester City to see how the other half live and, to make sure as many dyed-in-the-wool fans of the Potteries club as possible get their chance to attend, Vale came up with a novel tiebreaker when they received an extra batch of tickets from City. Those seeking a nibble at the increased allocation had to send in a 300-word mini-essay detailing how they have supported Vale over the years, and why they should be included in a ballot. Those who got lucky will dream that John Askey’s team can emulate a result from times past. Vale visited Maine Road on 4 November 1997and their 3-2 win is often cited among the depths City had to plumb in sinking to the third tier. The swing in fortunes seen since will almost certainly never be reversed but Vale, 10th in a division whose wider financial troubles may only just be beginning, will appreciate the payday and if a few of those present 22 years ago got lucky in the ballot then it might rekindle a few fond old memories. NA
• Manchester City v Port Vale (5.31pm, Saturday)