FA Cup fourth round: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Marcus Rashford could make his Aston Villa debut as Birmingham aim to bring Newcastle back to earth. For spice, consider how this tie is the sides’ third meeting this term. Manchester United won the first two with an aggregate of 8-2, Ruud van Nistelrooy was interim manager for each, then Ruben Amorim made the Dutchman unemployed when taking over as the head coach in mid-autumn. Now returning to Old Trafford as Leicester’s No 1, Van Nistelrooy can expect a warm welcome due to his former status as a star United striker. But if he engineers a knockout of the holders, Van Nistelrooy will be recast, temporarily, as the villain of the faithful. Jamie Jackson.

Manchester United v Leicester, Friday 8pm (all times GMT). For Leyton Orient to keep hope flickering that their best FA Cup run – to the semi-finals in 1978 – can be emulated or bested, the champions of England have to be downed. Richie Wellens’ tilt at plotting a seismic shock is bolstered by four new arrivals: Randell Williams, Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Dilan Markanday and Azeem Abdulai , a midfielder, defender, winger and utility player respectively. But Manchester City, too, signed a quartet of new recruits – Omar Marmoush , Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico González , the former a forward, the latter a midfielder and the other two defenders, in a splurge that cost £172m: an outlay that, for their League One hosts, would only be a pipe dream. JJ.

Leyton Orient v Manchester City, Saturday 12.15pm. After almost a decade as a professional footballer, Alex Palmer is finally about to becomea Premier League No 1 . The goalkeeper has spent his entire career at West Brom, apart from the odd loan move or seven, but only made the bench during their time in the top flight. Ipswich have offered him a chance to achieve his dream but he will start life back in the West Midlands with a tricky trip to in-form Coventry. With Christian Walton out injured and Arijanet Muric out of favour after a string of poor performances, there is plenty of pressure on Palmer to get things right – behind a defence that has conceded 12 times in its last three games. An upset will do nothing for morale, but a steady defensive performance might help settle the nerves. Will Unwin.

Coventry v Ipswich, Saturday 3pm. In August, Bournemouth sparked a crisis of confidence for Sean Dyche’s approach with their dramatic comeback at Goodison Park, and signalled the end of his tenure when completing a Premier League double over Everton last month. They also holed whatever belief remained in Frank Lampard’s reign as Everton manager with two emphatic wins in five days in the League Cup and Premier League in 2022. The Cherries, in a nutshell, have form for flooring Everton and can also signal the end of Goodison Park’s life as an FA Cup venue should they overcome an opponent who are much-improved under David Moyes. Defeat to Liverpool last weekend ended an unbeaten run of 12 games in all competitions for Bournemouth, who simply lacked the quality that Mohamed Salah gave the league leaders in front of goal. Andoni Iraola has otherwise maintained momentum throughout a serious injury-crisis and will hope it leads all the way to Wembley as reward for an outstanding season so far. Andy Hunter.

Everton v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm. If Eddie Howe is the poster boy for English coaches, Newcastle’s manager is unlikely to underestimate his Birmingham counterpart. Chris Davies has not merely led the Blues to the top of League One but, as a former assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester, then Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, the 39-year-old is nothing if not tactically smart. “Newcastle’s a big game,” says Davies. “A game we’ve all been craving. We want to test ourselves against the best and Newcastle will know we’re not here to make up the numbers. They’ll know Birmingham is a big club and it is not going to be easy. They’ve got some genuinely world-class players and it’s going to be a big challenge for us but we’re really going to enjoy it.” After reaching the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday night Howe may be tempted to rest some key performers. Much may hinge on how potential deputies including Joe Willock, Lewis Miley, Sean Longstaff, Will Osula and perhaps even Callum Wilson perform. Louise Taylor.

Birmingham v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm. Friday Manchester United v Leicester (8pm GMT) ITV1/STV. Saturday (3pm unless stated). Leeds v Millwall (12.15pm). Leyton Orient v Manchester City (12.15pm) BBC One. Coventry v Ipswich. Everton v Bournemouth. Preston v Wycombe. Southampton v Burnley. Stoke v Cardiff. Wigan v Fulham. Birmingham v Newcastle (5.45pm) BBC One. Brighton v Chelsea (8pm) ITV4. Sunday (3pm unless stated). Blackburn v Wolves (12.30pm) BBC RB/iPlayer;.

Plymouth v Liverpool (3pm) ITV1/STV. Aston Villa v Tottenham (5.35pm) BBC One. Monday Doncaster v Crystal Palace (7.45pm) BBC RB/iPlayer. Tuesday Exeter v Nottingham Forest (8pm) ITV1. After their 7-0 mauling at Nottingham Forest, Brighton face Chelsea under the Amex lights twice in the space of six days that could go a long way towards defining their season. Fabian Hürzeler’s side have struggled at home since beating Manchester City at the start of November and need to show more cutting edge in attack, not to mention shoring things up in defence after suffering their heaviest Premier League defeat ever. The visitors lined up at the City Ground in a strange formation that featured only Jack Hinshelwood in a holding role, behind four attacking midfielders. The Brighton manager will be hoping that Carlos Baleba – being tracked by several of the top six – is back in midfield for the FA Cup fourth round tie, or their Premier League meeting on Valentine’s night, after missing the Forest game with a muscle injury. Ed Aarons.