York City will want their form in the Blue Square Premier to translate into an upset against their more illustrious opponents Bolton.
Playing at the Reebok should not have too much of an effect on the third division side, who have nothing to lose from this encounter.
As for Owen Coyle’s charges, they had been doing superbly in the top-flight to push for a European spot. But a little sloppiness in the form of one victory in their last five league games has made the task a little more difficult than it would have been if their positive run had continued.
Now they lock horns in a welcome break from the rigours of league football to take on an in-form team looking to cause an upset.
Possible/Last line-ups:
Bolton: Bogdan; Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Marcos Alonso; Rodrigo, M Davies, Cohen, Taylor; Klasnic, Blake.
York: Ingham; Meredith, Smith, McGurk, Parslow, Carruthers; Weir, Barrett, Smith; Rankine; Chambers.
Hull City vs. Wigan Athletic
Barring a recent blip against Leicester City, the Tigers have been doing relatively well for themselves in the Championship. Sitting in 15th position in the second-tier reflects their fall from grace after an all too short-lived surge in the Premier League.
But now they can relive old memories through a game against the Latics, who will travel to play Nigel Pearson’s charges at the KC Stadium.
The visitors, for their part, will look towards this game with confidence, as they have managed to haul themselves into a better position – in the league - that they were in weeks past. Recent draws means that survival could still be on the cards, though their one-pointers would need to turn into a few three-point outings.
But in the meantime, this fixture should take some of the attention away from the relegation battle and focus on bettering a cup run. Wigan have not progressed beyond round four of the FA Cup since 1987, and will want that statistic to change. But that can only be done through a victory in the game that is now before them.
Possible/Last line-ups:
Hull: Guzan; Zayatte, Dawson, Gerrard, Cooper; Solano, Bullard, Ashbee, Stewart; Fryatt, Simpson.
Wigan: Al-Habsi; Gohouri, G Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa; Thomas, Watson; Stam, McArthur, De Ridder; Boselli.
Scunthorpe United vs. Everton
The hosts are currently battling for dear life in the Championship, having just about avoided relegation last season. They have never met the Toffees in the FA Cup, though their two League Cup encounters saw Everton put six past them.
Form has been an issue for both sides, as Scunthorpe have lost seven of their last eight games. But the cup can throw up many surprises, and the Merseysiders’ defender Seamus Coleman insists that his side will not take their opponents lightly.
He said: "It will probably be one of their biggest games of the season, so we'll not underestimate them."
Everton have been consistently inconsistent themselves, and have had some trouble on away days in cup competitions. But they certainly have the quality necessary to decimate the home side.
Possible/Last line-ups:
Scunthorpe: Murphy; Jones, Byne, Nolan, Togwell; Woolford, O’Connor, Thompson, Wight; Forte, Dagnall.
Everton: Mucha; Neville, Mustafi, Distin, Baines; Coleman, Osman, Fellaini, Bilyaletdinov; Beckford, Gueye.
Sheffield United vs. Aston Villa
Both teams are sailing under adverse conditions in their respective leagues, and will likely look towards this game as a welcome break from the difficulties posed by the marathon that is the Championship and the Premier League.
Villa boss Gerard Houllier appears to have the backing of the upper echelon of the club despite his team falling into the relegation zone in the top-flight, but a defeat at Bramall Lane could give his bosses some serious food for contemplation.
United have done no better than their counterparts, as their poor form has sent them down close to the dreaded drop zone. But their record against top-flight opponents is impressive, as they have progressed on three of five occasions when clashing with a Premier League side in the third round of the competition.
Possible/Last line-ups:
Sheffield United: Simonsen; Kozluk, Bartley, Ertl, Parrino; Ward, Montgomery, Williamson, Yeates; Evans, Cresswell.
Villa: Friedel; Walker, Beye, Dunne, Warnock; Clark, Hogg; Downing, Bannan, A Young; Agbonlahor.
Southampton vs. Blackpool
Seasiders boss Ian Holloway appears to have prioritised survival above the FA Cup, as he is expected to ring in the changes to his side as an out of sorts Liverpool prepare to visit Bloomfield Road a little later.
The hosts have taken down Shrewsbury Town and Cheltenham Town en route to setting up a clash against the visiting side, and are in good form as they look to gain promotion from League One to the Championship.
Blackpool’s second string side will provide them with an ample test to determine how they might fare in the second-tier, should they achieve promotion at the end of their current league campaign.
Possible/Last line-ups:
Southampton: Davis; Butterfield, Jaidi, Fonte, Dickson; Lallana, Chaplow, Guilherme, Hammond, Chamberlain; Lambert.
Blackpool: Rachubka; Phillips, Edwards, Keinan, Eastham; Southern, Sylvestre, Euell; Ormerod, Harewood, Barkhuizen.
Sunderland vs. Notts County
Sunderland have done well to rise up to sixth place in the Premier League, but the cup is a very different ballgame as opposed to playing 38 games to determine one’s position.
Notts County are no mugs with the ball, as they have striker Craig Westcarr and midfielder Ben Davies in very good form this campaign. And relatively smaller sides always love to play bigger opposition and get the better of them over a period of 90 minutes.
The Black Cats also have the Tyne and Wear derby against Newcastle United coming up, which could see manager Steve Bruce rest a few players to keep them fresh for that game.
Possible/Last line-ups:
Sunderland: Mignolet; Angeleri, Onuoha, Da Silva, Elmohamady; Cattermole, Riveros, Zenden, Malbranque; Bent, Cook.
Notts County: Burch; Darby, Harley, Pearce, Edwards; Bishop, Davies, Judge, Miller; Westcarr, Ince.
