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The big talking points ahead of the FA Cup fourth round

Manchester United host Liverpool, while the likes of Luton and Cheltenham will be looking to cause upsets against Premier League giants.

The FA Cup returns this weekend as the fourth-round ties are played out across the country.

While lockdown rules mean there will be no fans present for any of the matches, there still promises to be plenty of action.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the main talking points ahead of the weekend games.

United v Liverpool – Act II

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be keen to return to winning ways against Manchester United.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be keen to return to winning ways against Manchester United (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool played out a goalless draw at Anfield in the Premier League last week – a point which would have suited the visitors even if they could have won the game through a late Paul Pogba strike.

They meet again on Sunday, this time at Old Trafford, with both sides expected to make plenty of changes to the teams which lined up for kick-off seven days earlier.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will be keen to advance and get his side back to winning ways following a surprise slump in form, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will see the game as another chance to show his team are progressing into one capable of challenging for honours this season.

Lampard looking for Hatters scalp to ward off sacking speculation

Frank Lampard has come under pressure following a string of poor results for Chelsea.
Frank Lampard has come under pressure following a string of poor results for Chelsea (Richard Heathcote/PA)

Frank Lampard's position as Chelsea boss has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following a drop-off in both performances and results.

Speculation over his future will no doubt continue beyond Sunday's visit of Luton but defeat to the Sky Bet Championship side would be a nightmare for the former England midfielder.

He took the Blues all the way to the final last season before losing to Arsenal and will be fully expected to see off the Hatters in the same convincing manner they dispatched Morecambe in round three.

Cheltenham an outside bet against Pep's thoroughbreds

Cheltenham manager Michael Duff will pit his wits against Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola.
Cheltenham manager Michael Duff will pit his wits against Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola (Mike Egerton/PA)

League Two side Cheltenham host in-form Manchester City on Saturday knowing they will have to spring a huge shock to make it into the fifth round for the first time since 2002.

The Robins currently sit sixth in the table as they aim to get promoted to the third  tier and boss Michael Duff will want his side to take it to their illustrious visitors.

This will be the first-ever competitive meeting between the teams and, while Pep Guardiola will almost certainly shuffle his pack, there is no doubt the team he picks at Whaddon Road will be full of international talent.

Blunt Blades looking for respite

Chris Wilder's Sheffield United side have struggled in the league this season.
Chris Wilder's Sheffield United side have struggled in the league this season (Clive Rose/PA)

Sheffield United have won as many games in the FA Cup as they have in the Premier League this season – and they have only played in round three.

Jayden Bogle hit the winner in a 3-2 victory at Bristol Rovers and Chris Wilder's struggling side now face another League One opponent as Plymouth visit Bramall Lane.

The Pilgrims sit 11th in the table but go into the tie having beaten Sunderland last time out and, with either Bristol City or Millwall at home waiting for the winners in round five, Ryan Lowe will be keen to cause an upset.

Bees looking to put a sting in the tail of Foxes

Thomas Frank's in-form Brentford take on high-flying Leicester in the fourth round.
Thomas Frank's in-form Brentford take on high-flying Leicester in the fourth round (John Walton/PA)

Brentford are unbeaten in the Championship since October and are third in the table as they look to go one better than last year's play-off final defeat and make it to the Premier League.

If they do so, facing sides like Leicester will become a normality but this fourth-round clash will be a good barometer as to where Thomas Frank's side are at right now.

With Leicester very much in the title picture this tie may not be high on the priority list of both sides but could provide some of the best entertainment across the weekend.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


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