5 FA Cup Matches To Watch This Weekend
The FA Cup Third Round is this weekend and with the arrival of all 20 Premier League clubs into the fray, it gives the competition the added zest it needs to garner attention at the start of the new year.
There are always intriguing match ups between rival clubs or between two Premier League clubs or even match ups between lower level Premier League clubs and clubs that are a top of the Championship table seeking promotion.
Last year in the competition, Chelsea took down Portsmouth, who despite heavy struggles in the Premier League made a run to the final.
Final runs like Portsmouth had last season add to the unpredictability that the FA Cup provides, so who knows what this year's surprise team will be.
Here are five matches this weekend to keep an eye on.
Blackburn Rovers Vs. Queens Park Rangers
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This match up will most likely be seen twice next season in the Premier League with QPR sitting atop the npower Championship table at the moment.
Adel Taarabt has been superb for QPR so far this season with 12 goals in 25 games played in the Championship.
Blackburn will have to shut down the Moroccan international and his teammate Jamie Mackie, who is the second leading scorer, to give Rovers a chance in a game that they could very easily lose.
Blackburn are coming off of a 3-1 win over Liverpool at home on Wednesday and will look to get another big win at Ewood Park on Saturday morning.
Rovers will have to count on captain Ryan Nelsen to anchor the defense and keep Taarabt out of the six yard box.
Arsenal Vs. Leeds United
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Arsenal come into their home match with their former Premier League rivals after a goal less draw with Manchester City on Wednesday.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has a decision to make to make regarding the team that will face Leeds because his team faces a Carling Cup semifinal next week.
With the Carling Cup tie upcoming, Wenger may not turn to his younger players and decide to start his veterans or he has the choice of putting a mix of experience and youth in the lineup.
Leeds are looking to make the jump from League One to the Championship to the Premier League in two years and are good contention for promotion as they sit fifth in the Championship table.
Before their loss to Cardiff on Tuesday, Simon Grayson's club were on a 12 game unbeaten streak, which included a win over first place QPR.
Stoke City Vs. Cardiff City
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Stoke host Cardiff on Saturday at the Britannia Stadium.
Stoke, who sit tenth in the Premier League table, have had a decent third season in the top flight and are coming off a loss to Manchester United on Tuesday.
The Potters will be looking to emulate their FA Cup campaign of last season in which they reached the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Chelsea.
Look for first team regulars Robert Huth, Kenwyne Jones and Matthew Etherington to be key players and you can never count out Rory Delap and his long throw ins.
Cardiff are in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League but they have had a rough holiday period with big losses to Watford and Bristol City, in which they were outscored seven to one, before they rebounded and beat Leeds United on Tuesday.
Dave Jones' club has proven they can go far in the FA Cup before, by making the 2008 final, and have one of England's better players in Jay Bothroyd, who leads the Bluebirds with 13 goals this season.
Chelsea Vs. Ipswich Town
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Chelsea have struggled in the past couple months with only two wins in ten Premier League games.
With rumors that Carlo Ancelotti could be axed as manager and injuries to the defense, the Blues have struggled to keep pace in the Premier League title hunt.
Coming off a devastating loss to bottom of the table Wolverhampton on Wednesday, Ancelotti's men will look to advance in the competition where they are defending champions.
Ipswich Town are near the bottom of the Championship table and have the honor of facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and then hosting Arsenal at Portman Road on Wednesday in the Carling Cup.
Manager and former Manchester United great Roy Keane does have a host of former Premier League players, mostly from his time at Sunderland, on his roster that have experience at the larger stadiums like Stamford Bridge.
Those players are goalkeeper Marton Fulop, midfielders Grant Leadbitter and Carlos Edwards as well as leading scorer Jason Scotland.
A win against Chelsea and versus Arsenal would be a huge momentum boost to a team that are fighting relegation to League One.
Manchester United Vs. Liverpool
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The great rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool continues on Sunday at Old Trafford in the only FA Cup Third Round fixture that features two Premier League clubs.
Both teams were knocked out at this stage of the FA Cup last season and are out of the Carling Cup this season.
Manchester United are sitting pretty atop the Premier League table two points ahead of Manchester City and they have two games in hand on most of their title rivals.
Sir Alex Ferguson will be without his big game ace in Park Ji-Sung, who is on international duty with South Korea at the Asian Cup, but will have an in form Nani as well leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov and of course there is always Wayne Rooney and Chicharito looming in the background.
Liverpool are still in crisis and manager Roy Hodgson has been rumored to be getting the axe from the new ownership group, NESV, since the takeover in October.
During the holiday period, Liverpool suffered unexpected losses to Wolverhampton and Blackburn and have fell 12th place in the table.
A win over United may not save Hodgson's job but it could give confidence to Liverpool players and fans.
