FA Cup fourth round: 10 things to look out for this weekend | FA Cup

For spice, consider how this tie is the sides’ third meeting this term. Manchester United won the first two with an aggregate of 8-2, Ruud van Nistelrooy was interim manager for each, then Ruben Amorim made the Dutchman unemployed when taking over as the head coach in mid-autumn. Now returning to Old Trafford as Leicester’s No 1, Van Nistelrooy can expect a warm welcome due to his former status as a star United striker. But if he engineers a knockout of the holders, Van Nistelrooy will be recast, temporarily, as the villain of the faithful. Jamie Jackson

For Leyton Orient to keep hope flickering that their best FA Cup run – to the semi-finals in 1978 – can be emulated or bested, the champions of England have to be downed. Richie Wellens’ tilt at plotting a seismic shock is bolstered by four new arrivals: Randell Williams, Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Dilan Markanday and Azeem Abdulai , a midfielder, defender, winger and utility player respectively. But Manchester City, too, signed a quartet of new recruits – Omar Marmoush , Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico González , the former a forward, the latter a midfielder and the other two defenders, in a splurge that cost £172m: an outlay that, for their League One hosts, would only be a pipe dream. JJ

After almost a decade as a professional footballer, Alex Palmer is finally about to become a Premier League No 1. The goalkeeper has spent his entire career at West Brom, apart from the odd loan move or seven, but only made the bench during their time in the top flight. Ipswich have offered him a chance to achieve his dream but he will start life back in the West Midlands with a tricky trip to in-form Coventry. With Christian Walton out injured and Arijanet Muric out of favour after a string of poor performances, there is plenty of pressure on Palmer to get things right – behind a defence that has conceded 12 times in its last three games. An upset will do nothing for morale, but a steady defensive performance might help settle the nerves. Will Unwin

In August, Bournemouth sparked a crisis of confidence for Sean Dyche’s approach with their dramatic comeback at Goodison Park, and signalled the end of his tenure when completing a Premier League double over Everton last month. They also holed whatever belief remained in Frank Lampard’s reign as Everton manager with two emphatic wins in five days in the League Cup and Premier League in 2022. The Cherries, in a nutshell, have form for flooring Everton and can also signal the end of Goodison Park’s life as an FA Cup venue should they overcome an opponent who are much-improved under David Moyes. Defeat to Liverpool last weekend ended an unbeaten run of 12 games in all competitions for Bournemouth, who simply lacked the quality that Mohamed Salah gave the league leaders in front of goal. Andoni Iraola has otherwise maintained momentum throughout a serious injury-crisis and will hope it leads all the way to Wembley as reward for an outstanding season so far. Andy Hunter

If Eddie Howe is the poster boy for English coaches, Newcastle’s manager is unlikely to underestimate his Birmingham counterpart. Chris Davies has not merely led the Blues to the top of League One but, as a former assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester, then Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, the 39-year-old is nothing if not tactically smart. “Newcastle’s a big game,” says Davies. “A game we’ve all been craving. We want to test ourselves against the best and Newcastle will know we’re not here to make up the numbers. They’ll know Birmingham is a big club and it is not going to be easy. They’ve got some genuinely world-class players and it’s going to be a big challenge for us but we’re really going to enjoy it.” After reaching the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday night Howe may be tempted to rest some key performers. Much may hinge on how potential deputies including Joe Willock, Lewis Miley, Sean Longstaff, Will Osula and perhaps even Callum Wilson perform. Louise Taylor

After their 7-0 mauling at Nottingham Forest, Brighton face Chelsea under the Amex lights twice in the space of six days that could go a long way towards defining their season. Fabian Hürzeler’s side have struggled at home since beating Manchester City at the start of November and need to show more cutting edge in attack, not to mention shoring things up in defence after suffering their heaviest Premier League defeat ever. The visitors lined up at the City Ground in a strange formation that featured only Jack Hinshelwood in a holding role, behind four attacking midfielders. The Brighton manager will be hoping that Carlos Baleba – being tracked by several of the top six – is back in midfield for the FA Cup fourth round tie, or their Premier League meeting on Valentine’s night, after missing the Forest game with a muscle injury. Ed Aarons

Emmanuel Dennis has finally resurfaced at Blackburn after a forgettable two-and-a-half years at Nottingham Forest, who were very happy to see him go out for a third loan spell since unnecessarily signing him from Watford for around £10m. The Nigerian striker scored twice in 19 league appearances but has never fitted in at the City Ground. He split his time on loan between Istanbul Basaksehir and a return to Watford, pulling up trees at neither and, aged 27, really needs to get back on track. Blackburn, who now sit fifth in the league, certainly lack goals, scoring the fewest in the top half of the Championship. Dennis and Cauley Woodrow have arrived in an effort to alleviate the problem but the Forest man has not played a minute of competitive football since April. He would welcome a start in what appears to be a free-hit fixture. WU

Plymouth Argyle have recorded one notable cup win over Merseyside opposition this week – on Tuesday, the under-18s won at Everton to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup – but the chances of their first team conjuring a second are priced at 17-1. Fair enough, it is bottom of the Championship v top of the Premier League after all. Morgan Whittaker has joined Middlesbrough since scoring the fine goal that knocked out Brentford in the third round, when Liverpool’s vast resources meant Arne Slot could ring the changes against Accrington Stanley but still have Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Federico Chiesa on the scoresheet. Yet this is not uncharted territory for the Pilgrims, who have now reached the fourth round four times in the last five seasons, and their form has started to improve under Wayne Rooney’s successor, Miron Muslic. The Austrian enjoyed the first win of his reign last Saturday, when Plymouth followed up a 2-2 draw at Sunderland with a 2-1 defeat of West Brom. A free shot at a sold-out Home Park may offer some respite from a desperate league campaign. AH

All eyes will be on Marcus Rashford, whether he is given the chance to start or left to watch proceedings from the bench, as he begins life away from Old Trafford for . The England forward has not been seen on the pitch since December after Ruben Amorim took a strict line with him over his training-ground and match displays. It’s been an underwhelming 18 months for Rashford and, whether he likes it or not, he has plenty of points to prove when it comes to his ability and attitude, both of which have been questioned during his extended slump. He has not been the main man for a while but a big FA Cup game against an opponent like Tottenham mcould be just the focus his mind needs. Villa might only be a short-term solution for Rashford but he needs to remind everyone what he can offer in the longer term. WU

Having been within touching distance of the Carabao Cup semi-finals when Crystal Palace led at half-time against Arsenal at the Emirates only to lose 3-2, Oliver Glasner will be targeting another run in the FA Cup as one of the Premier League’s in-form teams head to League Two side Doncaster. While Grant McCann’s side – who beat Hull on penalties in the third round – are in excellent nick as they attempt to achieve promotion, it represents a great opportunity for Palace to progress in a competition that has seen them twice beaten in the final by Manchester United – in 1990 and 2016. Expect Glasner to field a strong team at the Eco-Power Stadium as his side attempt to reach the fifth round for only the third time since their defeat to Louis van Gaal’s 10 men nine years ago. EA