FA Cup 2018: 3rd-Round TV Schedule, Live Stream, Odds and Predictions
A Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, as well as a tricky trip for holders Arsenal are among the standout televised fixtures for the third round of the 2018 FA Cup.
Last year's beaten finalists Chelsea will travel to Norwich City on Saturday, the day after Manchester United host Derby County at Old Trafford.
Here are the schedule and live-streaming details for all the third-round ties, along with predictions:
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Friday, January 5
- Liverpool vs. Everton, 7:55 p.m. GMT/2:55 p.m. ET. BBC One/Fox Sports 1 (2-1)
- Manchester United vs. Derby County, 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 2 (4-1)
Saturday, January 6
- Fleetwood Town vs. Leicester City, 12:45 p.m. GMT/7:45 a.m. ET. BBC One/Fox Sports 1 (0-2)
- Manchester City vs. Burnley, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 (4-1)
- Fulham vs. Southampton, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET. Fox Sports 2 (2-1)
- Norwich City vs. Chelsea, 5:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET. BT Sport 1 (1-3)
Sunday, January 7
- Newport County vs. Leeds United, 12 p.m GMT/7 a.m. ET. BBC Wales (1-3)
- Shrewsbury Town vs. West Ham United, 2 p.m. GMT/9 a.m. ET. BBC One/Fox Sports 1 (1-2)
- Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal, 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET. BT Sport 1/Fox Sports 1 (1-3)
Monday, January 8
- Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Crystal Palace, 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET. BBC One/Fox Sports 2 (2-1)
Live-Streaming links: BBC iPlayer, BT Sport App, Fox Soccer Pass
Full third-round schedule available, per the FA's official website
Odds to win the Cup
- Manchester City: 11-2
- Chelsea: 13-2
- Manchester United: 7-1
- Tottenham Hotspur: 9-1
- Arsenal: 10-1
- Liverpool: 10-1
- Leicester City: 28-1
- Everton: 33-1
- Southampton: 40-1
- Stoke City: 50-1
All odds available, per Oddschecker.com and accurate at the time of writing.
United to Overcome Injury Woes
The Red Devils could miss up to six players when they host Derby. Right-back Antonio Valencia, centre-back Eric Bailly and midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick are all expected to miss out, per Jack Staplehurst of the Daily Star.
Manager Jose Mourinho also confirmed there are doubts about striker Romelu Lukaku and defender Chris Smalling, according to the same report. The Belgium international missed United's last game due to a head injury suffered in the goalless draw with Southampton on Saturday.
However, United won comfortably without Lukaku, beating his old club Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park on New Year's Day. The win showcased the strength in depth of Mourinho's squad, with Anthony Martial getting on the scoresheet in a rare start through the middle.
Martial or Marcus Rashford could play up top again, but United will need more than pace to break down a Derby defence marshalled superbly by Curtis Davies. WhoScored.com detailed how well the centre-back, who reached the 2014 FA Cup final with Hull City, has been playing recently:
Davies and Derby will be tough early, but United still have enough match-winners to qualify with room to spare in front of home support.
Rotated Chelsea Will Have Too Much for the Canaries
Chelsea are another Premier League club with enough quality to rotate their starting XI and still win. Manager Antonio Conte has already said he will continue to refresh his squad as the fixtures pile up, per Sky Sports.
Conte is mindful of also having to face Arsenal twice in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup this month. In the meantime, he'll attempt to go one better in this competition after losing out to the Gunners in last season's final.
Chelsea can choose from Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Cesc Fabregas and N'Golo Kante to play at the heart of midfield. Further forward, Michy Batshuayi may replace Alvaro Morata and hand the Spanish striker a rest.
Whoever starts, the Blues will have too much for a Norwich side mired in mid-table in the Championship.
Liverpool to Edge Tight Derby Clash
Liverpool will look for revenge against their neighbours when Everton visit Anfield on Friday, after the Toffees took a point from the same fixture in the Premier League on December 10.
Everton may be buoyed by Liverpool possibly missing key attacking duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed the pair will attend the Confederation of African Football Player of the Year award ceremony in Ghana the day before the game, per BBC Sport.
Klopp also indicated Mane may miss out anyway due to a groin strain.
The absence of the Senegal international could compound any doubts about Philippe Coutinho's status. The classy No. 10 missed Liverpool's 2-1 win over Burnley on New Year's Day with a thigh injury, per Rory O'Callaghan of Sky Sports.
The Brazil international is also still hopeful of sealing a transfer to Barcelona, according to the Guardian's Andy Hunter.
Yet despite any questions about their celebrated forward line, Liverpool should still edge this derby. It could mark the debut of centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who recently joined the club in a deal worth £75 million.
However, Klopp remains uncertain whether the Netherlands international will start, per David Wright of the Daily Star.
The manager appears confident enough in a squad on a three-match winning run.
Arsenal to Scrape Past Forest
There will be a lot of similarities to last season when Arsenal got their cup campaign started with a narrow win away to a team from the Championship. The Gunners scraped by Preston North End 2-1 and will edge Nottingham Forest by the same score.
Boss Arsene Wenger, the most successful manager in FA Cup history, is under the spotlight after being charged by the FA following comments he made towards Mike Dean, per Sky Sports.
The Frenchman questioned Dean after the referee awarded West Bromwich Albion a controversial late penalty to deny Arsenal all three points on New Year's Eve.
In another similarity with last season, Wenger was serving a ban for a similar offence during the early stages of the FA Cup; he had to watch his side's 5-0 win over Southampton in the fourth round from the stands.
Forwards Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott accounted for all those goals, and they may be needed again with Olivier Giroud injured. Wenger is also dealing with the absences of midfielder Aaron Ramsey, as well as defenders Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal, according to The Sun's Toby Gannon.
It's a lengthy injury list, but Arsenal have become past masters at turning on the style in the FA Cup in recent seasons. Expect Wenger's men to do enough against a Forest side still looking for a new manager after sacking Mark Warburton on New Year's Eve.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and United are all among the favourites to lift the trophy, a status they will all justify by earning third-round wins.
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