FA Cup 3rd Round: City, Chelsea and Liverpool in easy fixtures

FA Cup weekend sees top teams in action, with Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man City facing lower-tier sides. Can any underdog pull off a shock upset?

The FA Cup is well and truly underway, are we expecting shocks from this stage of the competition? (Photo credit: @FA)

While teams in England can take a break from league action during the FA Cup weekend, the pursuit of silverware begins at this point, with every team in the top flight participating.

Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers' second-half goals sent Graham Potter's West Ham out of the competition on Friday night, causing delirium for Unai Emery at Aston Villa.

On Saturday, League 2 side Accrington Stanley will be visiting Anfield to face the log leaders in a titanic battle. There isn't much to observe here except for a training session, but the FA Cup is known for its unpredictable nature. Are we going to see one here?

Ruud Van Nistelrooy can use the visit of QPR to the King Power to gain some reprieve after a tough festive season in which Leicester City lost all their games; he will be under the spotlight for the wrong reasons if he loses to the Championship side on Saturday in the cup game.

Bournemouth’s season can even get better with cup success. With West Brom in town, you expect the Premier League side to emerge victorious; the Baggies have only suffered one defeat in their last five games. It would be a favourable contest at the Vitality Stadium.

With only two losses at the G-Tech Stadium this season, Brentford is quite strong at home, and with Plymouth struggling in all areas, you can expect the Bees to excel. Thomas Frank should rest some key players, but whoever is selected should be capable of performing well.

Chelsea, without a win in four games, will face Morecambe at the Stamford Bridge Stadium. Chelsea will win this one cleanly to return to winning ways without breaking much sweat; Brighton might not be able to say the same as they’re away to Norwich City; it’s a tricky tie for Fabian Hurzelar, who needs a win too.

High-flying Nottingham Forest is at home to Championship side Luton Town. Nuno Espirito Santo needs to keep the momentum going; he would fancy a win. He can afford to rest a few players, but he must also be wary of the tricky nature of the FA Cup.

Manchester City appears to be on their way back to their best; it’s a tough one for non-league side Salford, but it could be a positive experience for them at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola would certainly rest key players ahead of the next league fixture, but Salford could ship quite a few goals.