FA Cup: Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal: Leeds Will March on Together, Just Not in the Cup

So... is Arsenal just not wearing red anymore? Pic via Guardian.

Leeds United 1: Johnson 37

Arsenal 3: Nasri 5, Sagna 35, van Persie 76

Arsenal needed to use a get out of jail free card at the Emirates just to force this replay, but at Elland Road yesterday, they'll be satisfied that they never trailed against a Leeds side that is building momentum for a promotion push back to the top flight. After a difficult 1-1 draw against Leeds was followed by an abysmal performance in Ipswich, there were questions starting to surround some of the side. Arsenal seems to always find answers to those questions; it's just that they always reappear once people have stopped asking them. It's crucial, therefore, for the Gunners to continue their form from the last two matches going forward.

There were not many surprises in the starting XI, though the forward corps was a bit weaker than I would have liked (a moot point now, really.) Wojciech Szczesny continued deputizing for the injured Lukasz Fabianski in goal. Bacary Sagna returned from suspension to start at right back. Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou started at center half, despite articles on Tuesday night that Djourou might be rested. Kieran Gibbs got the start at left back. Alex Song and Denilson started in the holding roles as Jack Wilshere dropped to the bench. Samir Nasri started his first cup tie for a while and wore the captain's armband. He started in the forward four with Andrei Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner, and Marouane Chamakh. The bench was strong, including the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, and Robin van Persie.

Arsenal needed a strong start to cast away any doubts that could spring into their heads. A strong start on Saturday, with van Persie scoring in the 13th minute at West Ham meant Arsenal controlled the play from there, and this time around, the goal came even earlier. In the 5th minute, Arshavin's pass to the center caught a little flick from Chamakh into the path of Nasri, who was through on goal and coolly finished past Kasper Schmeichel to put Arsene Wenger's gold and redcurrant army ahead 1-0. The Gunners almost grabbed a second around five minutes later, as a free kick from Nasri found Chamakh's head in the box, but Schmeichel made a fantastic save. Ten minutes later, Arshavin had a total miss from in close after a set-up from the Moroccan.

Na-na Na-na Na-na Na-na Na Na-na! Pic via Daily Mail.

But, Arsenal would find their second goal in the 35th. Bendtner, in the box, opted to pass back into open space to find Sagna. Sagna dribbled the ball in closer, then pounded a shot off Schmeichel's hands and in for his second goal of the year. Seriously, Sagna has two goals this year, three if you count a similar goal he scored in a friendly (you shouldn't.) Also, I love how Sagna celebrates his goals, as they're such a rare occasion. He tends to just sprint away, just running and yelling. It's awesome.

If you thought Sagna's goal was a laser beam of a shot, then Leeds's Bradley Johnson won the game of one-upmanship two minutes later. Johnson fired an absolutely unstoppable rocket shot into the roof of the net from 25 yards out. Szczesny had no chance, Leeds had pulled one back, and the tie was in the balance again. It was a truly beautiful goal, which I can say now, since Arsenal won.

So, Arsenal needed another to feel a little more comfortable. A handful of seconds after the restart, Alex Song had a chance for Arsenal's third, but his shot was a bit off the mark and Schmeichel saved. Ten minutes later, Robert Snodgrass, Leeds's goal scorer at the Emirates, had a goal saving tackle on an Arshavin chance. With twenty minutes to play, Arsenal upped the ante, bringing on Fabregas and van Persie.

14 minutes from time, Arsenal finally had their third, and it was the Dutchman off the bench who provided it. Bendtner found van Persie with a cross from the right wing at the back post and, with the Leeds defense slightly asleep, RVP headed the ball in comfortably to make it 3-1 to the good. From this point on, it was a coasting effort from Arsenal. Gael Clichy relieved Nasri about six minutes from time, pushing Gibbs up the pitch a bit. Leeds had a chance for a second from a corner just around the start of injury time and could not convert, even with all eleven men in the box. In the end, a thoroughly satisfying win for the side that continues to baffle me by wearing yellow against non-red opponents.

The Gunners escaped from jail at the Emirates a week and a half ago, then deserved to win this one at Elland Road, and their reward is a fourth round tie at home with League One Huddersfield Town, another side that currently has an Arsenal player there on loan; this time, Benik Afobe (I think his loan has been extended for the season, otherwise it would have ended January 8.) Arsenal remains the only English team still alive in all four of their competitions. But, with that in mind, another league fixture is coming up just around the bend, with Wigan coming to the Emirates on Saturday. This has seemed to be a team all year that crumbles when the title challenge talk returns. So, do me a favor and shut up about it, okay media?

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Samir Nasri

Preview: Leeds United v. Arsenal, FA Cup 3rd Round Replay

Wojciech Szczesny will make his fourth straight start. Pic via Daily Mail.

Elland Road, Leeds

Wednesday, January 19

8:00 p.m. GMT, 3:00 p.m. EST

• Referee: Mike Dean
• Original Tie: Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds United
• All-Time in All Competitions: 44 Arsenal wins, 41 Leeds wins, 32 draws
• All-Time in FA Cup: 5 Arsenal wins, 2 Leeds wins, 7 draws
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: L-W-D-W-D-W
• Leeds's Championship Form: W-D-D-D-L-W
• Winner in 4th Rd.: v. Huddersfield Town on Sunday, January 30 (Noon GMT, 7:00 a.m. Eastern)

Rotation?

There's such potential for changes in Arsenal's side for this match, that I'm going to tackle this position-by-position, instead of going with the normal predicted line-up format:

Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski suffered a set back in recovery from his shoulder injury, so Wojciech Szczesny will continue to deputize. Fabianski is not expected to be back until after the Carling Cup second leg with Ipswich, so he'll be back for the fourth round of the FA Cup at the earliest (should Arsenal win this match.) With Manuel Almunia still out, James Shea will remain on the bench. There's been a lot of media talk about how Szczesny will handle a sell-out crowd at Elland Road, which is only of concern if you forget that he was fine at Old Trafford last month.

Defense: Bacary Sagna returns from his three match ban, so I expect he'll start as Emmanuel Eboue will need a break. Sebastien Squillaci's return won't be until February and Thomas Vermaelen is undergoing a procedure on his Achilles that has put a 4-6 week timetable on his return, so Arsene Wenger's hands are tied at center back again: Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou will start. Maybe there'll be some rotation at left back as we could see Kieran Gibbs start over Gael Clichy.

Holding Midfield: Aaron Ramsey will return to the bench for this match, but I again don't think he'll start. Ramsey would likely have seen some amount of time against Leeds or against Ipswich if Arsenal were winning at any point. Since I'd expect one of either Alex Song or Jack Wilshere to be rested (more likely Wilshere, who started both matches last week,) that unfortunately will mean a start from Denilson. Abou Diaby maintained in a French interview that he'll be fit by this weekend, but Arsene Wenger said in his press conference that he's likely out for as long as Fabianski (that is, until the end of this month.)

Attacking Midfield: Here is where the most questions about rotation lie, as all three starters (Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, and Theo Walcott) could drop to the bench for rest. Tomas Rosicky could return; according to the BBC, he's been out with a virus that I don't seem to recall anybody mentioning before. Nicklas Bendtner and Andrei Arshavin could get starts as well; I'd be totally shocked should Carlos Vela enter the starting XI. Since this match is must-win to advance, the more changes that are made here, the less comfortable I'm going to feel. All three usuals won't start, but I'd prefer there only be one change at most (which, if I had to choose, would be Walcott dropping since he, like Wilshere, started both matches last week.)

Forward: Robin van Persie is finding his form, but Marouane Chamakh has not started since the original tie with Leeds last Saturday. The Moroccan came off the bench at Ipswich and did not feature at West Ham. My gut instinct is to start RVP for the must-win cup ties and maybe give Chamakh a run-out at the weekend.

Other Arsenal Notes

• Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been loaned to Cardiff City for the remainder of the season.
• Arsenal's win at West Ham on Saturday was their first win in four, however, the Gunners have only lost one of their last seven in all competitions.
• Arsene Wenger has never been bounced from the 3rd Round of the FA Cup in his career at Arsenal. Sheffield United were the last side to knock out Arsenal from this round, in 1995/96.

Leeds News and Notes

• Luciano Becchio is a doubt, after suffering a back injury against Scunthorpe this weekend.
• Defender George McCartney has joined Leeds on loan after the initial match, and as such, is cup tied.
• Sanchez Watt has again been granted permission to play against his parent club.
• Leeds's 4-0 win over Scunthorpe at the weekend was their first win in six.
• Leeds have not lost at Elland Road since late October and are unbeaten in seven home matches.

Match Facts

• Arsenal has required at least one replay at some point during their path to each of their 10 FA Cup titles.
• Arsenal had won three straight against Leeds before the 1-1 draw at the Emirates. Leeds's last win over Arsenal was 3-2 at Highbury in 2003.
• This is the eighth FA Cup tie between the two sides; Arsenal has won five of them.

The Referee

• The referee is Wirral-based Mike Dean.
• Over this season and last season, Arsenal has not won any of the six matches of which Dean has taken charge.
• Arsenal have not scored in a match worked by Dean since Cesc Fabregas's 7th minute goal at Burnley in what was eventually a 1-1 draw. Their opposition has kept a clean sheet in the last four. Excluding injury time, Arsenal has not scored in 443 minutes of playing time while Mike Dean is the head official.
• This is Dean's first Leeds match since a 1-1 draw with Luton Town in 2007/08.

Other Third Round Replays

• Tuesday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Doncaster Rovers; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Tuesday: Manchester City v. Leicester City; City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
• Tuesday: Cardiff City v. Stoke City; Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff

What Is Your Starting XI at Ipswich on Wednesday?

In for the banned Sagna, Emmanuel Eboue is one of the only obvious selections.

Pic via This is Futbol.

Rotation, rotation, rotation. We've talked about it a lot lately and with Arsenal competing on three domestic fronts in the month of January, we're going to be talking about it a lot more this week. Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Leeds on Saturday added one more match to the fixture list, with very little break in between each match.

We've also noticed since the festive period a clear line between Arsenal's usual starting squad and the squad of bench players who start when Arsene Wenger determines the need to rotate. The A Team started three of the four league fixtures during the holiday period, while the B Team started at Wigan and against Leeds (both draws.)

The A Team has established itself as: Fabianski; Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott; and van Persie.

The B Team isn't quite a full XI on its own and usually requires about two players from the A Team to overlap, thanks to injuries to Diaby and Vermaelen. Reports indicate that Squillaci picked up a hamstring injury on Saturday, which will force Wenger's hand to buy in the transfer market. The B Team list, therefore, includes Szczesny, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin, and Chamakh, plus Aaron Ramsey close to a return and the occasional smattering of reserves like Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Craig Eastmond, and Ignasi Miquel. And it took me a reread of the article after posting it to realize I had completely forgotten Carlos Vela, who is likely going to be loaned somewhere anyway.

In the coming weeks, the fixture list is a little complicated. Arsenal plays the first leg of the Carling Cup Semi-Final at Ipswich Town on Wednesday night. Then, three days later, it's back to league play against West Ham United, at Upton Park. Three to four days later, depending on the not yet determined replay date, they'll travel to Elland Road for the replay against Leeds. Three or four days later, it's back to the Emirates again to host Wigan in the league, then three days after that, they host Ipswich in the second leg of the Carling Cup Semi.

Five matches in thirteen days.

My question to you: in which matches do you start the A Team, in which matches do you start the B Team, do you mix-and-match the squads at any point, and who do you send out at Ipswich on Wednesday?

Remember, if you play the B Team on Wednesday, then it will be ten days since the A Team's last start by the time Arsenal plays West Ham at the weekend.

Tricky, isn't it?

FA Cup: Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds: To Elland Road We Go...

Damn you, Schmeichel Two! Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 1: Fabregas 90 (pen)

Leeds United 1: Snodgrass 54 (pen)

There was a lot to ponder at way too early of an hour in the morning yesterday, following Arsenal's last gasp equalizer to force a replay with Leeds United. I have to say, Arsenal, these 7:45 in New York matches are way too early for you to keep putting me through the wringer.

That being said, we learned a lot about Arsenal's "B team" against Leeds. I think the main lesson is that, while full of great individual talents, the B team does not work well enough as a unit to win anything. While they kept Leeds's chances to a minimum, the Championship side took advantage of the chance they did receive, while Arsenal B did not, and it required the introduction of Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott just to force a replay. And should Arsenal get past that replay at Elland Road in about nine or ten days, they'll have a date with League One's Huddersfield Town at the Emirates in the fourth round. Not a bad draw at all.

Arsene Wenger made nine changes to the side that was frustrated at home by Manchester City; of the two players who started both, one was surprising (Alex Song) and the other was not (Johan Djourou.) Wojciech Szczesny started in goal, Emmanuel Eboue slipped in for the banned Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs deputized for Gael Clichy, and Sebastien Squillaci did the same for Laurent Koscielny. Denilson joined Song as the second holding midfielder, Tomas Rosicky wore the armband and started in the middle, Marouane Chamakh started as the center forward and the the wingers were Andrei Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner. That front four were the same four from the 2-2 draw at Wigan.

Right off the bat, a few thoughts about that line-up:

• Andrei Arshavin is as enigmatic as ever. He's clearly lost his touch and confidence, but is the type that could surge into a huge run of form if he just wants it enough. The problem is, it just doesn't look like he does want it enough. I mean, he started jogging off the pitch when Theo Walcott came on, even though Marouane Chamakh was the man whose number was in red on the board.
• Nicklas Bendtner has been fairly useless as a center forward this season, despite all of his talk. However, it's quite possible that he's even more useless as a winger. Seriously, Wenger, stop trying this. Then again, Bendtner's two huge misses came from the center (the header in the 80th and the left footed shot wide in the 92nd.)
• The emergence of Jack Wilshere this season has essentially played Denilson off this team. Denilson appears uncreative and flat footed and has a habit of conceding bad penalties. He was serviceable last year, but with Wilshere to compare him to this year, he now seems expendable.
• Marouane Chamakh cannot create his own chances. If the midfield is not creative enough or technical enough to work him into dangerous situations, he does not work up front. He hasn't scored since November 27th at Aston Villa.
• Tomas Rosicky, while a good leader, is past his prime enough that he seems incapable of handling the play-maker role. Aside from Fabregas and Samir Nasri, I don't really know who else on the bench can handle that role in a "B team" situation, though. Abou Diaby played it a bit in October before getting hurt. Then he got hurt again.
• Positives: Wojciech Szczesny will be #1 at some point soon. Johan Djourou has settled into the center back role incredibly well, especially after a year off through injury. Really, the back four as a whole were fine enough, save some adventures with Squillaci. No major complaints there.

Anyway, on to the match itself. It was a shaky start from Arsenal, as you'd expect from the B team that doesn't play as a group often, and largely hadn't in a week and a half. Eventually, throughout the first half, Arsenal was able to pick up where they left off on Wednesday, that is to say, they frustratingly wasted away chances. Arshavin was through on goal in the 11th, but Kasper Schmeichel came off his line well, and the Russian's shot was straight at the Danish son of Peter. Arshavin had a volley stopped with a diving save about fifteen minutes later. Right after this, off two corners, Arsenal had two shots cleared off the line.

Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead 1-0 from the spot in
the 54th minute. Pic via Daily Mail.

Leeds had to be happy about how the situation had played out in the first half. They were still hanging tight at 0-0, knowing that Arsenal's defense is porous enough to snatch a goal against the run of play. And, in the 54th, that goal came and it was against the run of play, but the defense was not to blame. Max Gradel poked the ball past Denilson in the area, and the Brazilian stuck his leg out to impede the Irish midfielder's progress. Stone cold penalty. Szczesny guessed right on Robert Snodgrass's spot kick, but the ball slipped just under the diving keeper. And with 36 minutes to play, Arsenal were up against it.

Aaron Ramsey had returned to the bench for Arsenal in this match, and you have to think that if the Gunners were winning comfortably, he could have made an appearance. However, at the hour mark, the necessary substitution was to bring on Cesc Fabregas. The captain came on for Alex Song, however, which meant once again, I had no idea how the substitution was supposed to work tactically.

Going back to something I said earlier in this post, Chamakh's best chance came about two or three minutes after Fabregas's introduction, but his header glanced wide after a last second defensive deflection. Szczensy made two big saves in the following ten minutes to keep Arsenal in the tie, first on a header in the 64th and later on a dipping free kick in the 71st. In the 80th minute, Nicklas Bendtner had a golden chance to head in the equalizer, but his attempt, from a central location, was over the crossbar.

Cesc Fabregas equalizes from the penalty spot in the 90th.

Then, the major twist. In the 88th minute, Theo Walcott went down in the area, then the ball squirted to Bendtner, who was offside. Phil Dowd pointed to the spot but the linseman's flag was up. Considering the foul came before the ball slipped to an offside player, the penalty should not have been negated. But, strangely, it was. I guess that's for the best, as after the match, Walcott apologized for diving on that challenge. Something tells me we won't see an embargo on Arsenal penalties like we did after the Eduardo incident last year, largely because Walcott isn't foreign.

But, one minute later, Walcott was hauled down again, this time his shirt having been tugged by Ben Parker. At the time, in the pub, I thought this call was weaker than the first, and we all chalked it up as a make-up call for what had happened a minute earlier. Cesc Fabregas stepped up to the spot and coolly fired the ball straight down the middle, as Schmeichel dove to his right. Arsenal was level in the 90th.

Arsenal then had two great chances for a winner in injury time. Again, Bendtner had a golden opportunity, breaking in down the left wing on Schmeichel, but Arsenal's Dane fired completely wide with a left footed shot. Walcott had a chance for a winner one minute later, but his shot found the side netting on the right side, and that was it. Arsenal had drawn level but could not find a dramatic winner and the Gunners now have themselves a replay scheduled at Elland Road coming on the 18th or 19th.

The Gunners by no means deserved to win this game and going to a replay is not as bad as crashing out in the third round. But, with a two-legged semi-final tie in the Carling Cup, suddenly Arsenal has a fixture congestion problem in January. The good news in this respect is that Arsenal has three cup ties against Championship sides, two league games against the bottom two teams in the table, and a fourth round tie with a League One side should they win at Leeds. It could all be a lot worse, no?

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Kasper Schmeichel

Preview: Arsenal v. Leeds United, FA Cup 3rd Round

Thierry Henry hit four past Leeds in their last meeting. Pic via BBC.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, January 8

12:45 p.m. GMT, 7:45 a.m. EST

• Referee: Chris Foy
• Last League Match: Arsenal 5 - 0 Leeds (April 16, 2004)
• All-Time in All Competitions: 44 Arsenal wins, 41 Leeds wins, 31 draws
• All-Time in FA Cup: 5 Arsenal wins, 2 Leeds wins, 6 draws
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: W-L-W-D-W-D
• Leeds's Championship Form: W-W-D-D-D-L
• Potential Replay Date: January 18 or 19

Predicted Line-Up

all guesswork

Szczesny

Eboue - Djourou - Squillaci - Gibbs

Eastmond - Denilson

Bendtner - Rosicky - Vela

Chamakh

Subs from: Fabianski, Koscielny, Clichy, Ramsey, Wilshere, Arshavin, Emmanuel-Thomas

Suspended: Sagna (first of three, violent conduct)

Out: Diaby (calf), Almunia (ankle), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Emmanuel Eboue will certainly return to the squad, with Bacary Sagna serving a three match ban.
• Kieran Gibbs appears ready to start as well, at left back.
• I imagine Sebastien Squillaci will return as well, but don't know which other center back will drop to the bench. I guessed Johan Djourou to start.
• Wojciech Szczesny will likely start in goal, but with Vito Mannone still out on loan until January 31 (and hurt,) Fabianski will be on the bench.
• The midfielders and forwards, though? I have no clue.
• Aaron Ramsey probably won't start, but it'd be great to see him on the bench, maybe coming on as a substitute.
• Since losing consecutive matches to Tottenham and Braga at the end of November, Arsenal have lost only one of their last nine fixtures across all competitions. They are currently unbeaten in four.
• Arsenal have not gone unbeaten in five straight fixtures since October.

Leeds News and Notes

• Sanchez Watt, on loan from Arsenal, has been granted permission to feature. However, he picked up a head injury against Cardiff City on Tuesday which required stitches.
• Defender Ben Parker, who had been a long term absence after hip surgery, played his first 90 minutes since August of 2009 on Tuesday.
• Leeds-born-but-grew-up-in-London-and-is-an-Arsenal-supporting winger Lloyd Sam came on as a substitute Tuesday, but picked up a thigh injury after six minutes, and is now a doubt.
• Defender Andy O'Brien is also a doubt with a dead leg.
• Leeds was unbeaten in 12 before losing to Cardiff on Tuesday. Their last loss before that was also to Cardiff.
• During the streak, Leeds rose from 16th in the Championship to as high as 2nd. They currently sit 5th.

Match Facts

• The last time Arsenal played a non-Premier League side in a domestic cup tie was the third round of last year's Carling Cup, against then-Championship side West Bromwich Albion. Since then, they've played Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, and Wigan Athletic in the Carling Cup and West Ham United and Stoke City in the FA Cup.
• Arsenal won all three meetings with Leeds in their most recent top flight season, 2003/04. Then again, Arsenal didn't lose that year, which you might recall. Arsenal won the league meetings 5-0 at Highbury (Henry scored four) and 4-1 at Elland Road. Arsenal also won an FA Cup tie 4-1 at Elland Road.
• Leeds's last win against Arsenal was a year before that, by a 3-2 score at Highbury. Mark Viduka had the 88th minute winner.
• Leeds United has only won one FA Cup in their history. It was in 1972 and they beat Arsenal 1-0 in the final.

The Referee

• The referee is Merseyside-based Chris Foy, who took charge of last year's FA Cup Final.
• Arsenal have won both matches worked by Foy in which they've played this year by 2-1 scores, first at Blackburn then at home against Fulham.
• Foy has taken charge of one Championship match this year and it was Leeds's 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

Other Third Round Ties

• Saturday: Burnley v. Port Vale; Turf Moor, Burnley
• Saturday: Coventry City v. Crystal Palace; Ricoh Arena, Coventry
• Saturday: Bristol City v. Sheffield Wednesday; Ashton Gate, Bristol
• Saturday: Fulham v. Peterborough United; Craven Cottage, London
• Saturday: Doncaster Rovers v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster
• Saturday: Brighton & Hove Albion v. Portsmouth; Withdean Stadium, Brighton
• Saturday: Huddersfield Town v. Dover Athletic; Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield
• Saturday: West Ham United v. Barnsley; Boleyn Ground, London
• Saturday: Reading v. West Bromwich Albion; Madejski Stadium, Reading
• Saturday: Sheffield United v. Aston Villa; Bramall Lane, Sheffield
• Saturday: Bolton Wanderers v. York City; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Saturday: Blackburn Rovers v. Queens Park Rangers; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Saturday: Swansea City v. Colchester United; Liberty Stadium, Swansea
• Saturday: Stevenage v. Newcastle United; Broadhall Way, Stevenage
• Saturday: Burton Albion v. Middlesbrough; Pirelli Stadium, Burton upon Trent
• Saturday: Millwall v. Birmingham City; The Den, London
• Saturday: Southampton v. Blackpool; St. Mary's, Southampton
• Saturday: Watford v. Hartlepool United; Vicarage Road, Watford
• Saturday: Sunderland v. Notts County; Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Saturday: Scunthorpe United v. Everton; Glanford Park, Scunthorpe
• Saturday: Hull City v. Wigan Athletic; KC Stadium, Kingston upon Hull
• Saturday: Stoke City v. Cardiff City; Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
• Saturday: Preston North End v. Nottingham Forest; Deepdale, Preston
• Saturday: Norwich City v. Leyton Orient; Carrow Road, Norwich
• Saturday: Torquay United v. Carlisle United; Plainmoor, Torquay
• Sunday: Leicester City v. Manchester City; Walkers Stadium, Leicester
• Sunday: Chelsea v. Ipswich Town; Stamford Bridge, London
• Sunday: Manchester United v. Liverpool; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Sunday: Tottenham Hotspur v. Charlton Athletic; White Hart Lane, London
• Monday: Crawley Town v. Derby County; Broadfield Stadium, Crawley
• Tuesday: Wycombe Wanderers v. Hereford United or Lincoln City; Adams Park, High Wycombe