The 16 teams left in the FA Cup are just 180 minutes of football away from a date at Wembley. For some sides, like Tottenham obviously, that isn’t so much of a big deal, but for other lower-league outfits the dream of a day out at football HQ lives on.
With domestic and continental matters also on the minds of some involved, it will be interesting to see the strength of the starting elevens selected – accounting for enforced absentees as well, of course.
Here’s a run down of all the latest FA Cup injury news and suspension:
Sheffield Wednesday vs Swansea (Saturday, 12:30pm)
Sheffield Wednesday will be aiming to ruin Carlos Carvahal’s return to Hillsborough, but will have to do so without the injured Gary Hooper. Fernando Forestieri, Almen Abdi and Joost van Aken will have to pass late fitness tests to be involved, although first-choice keeper Kieran Westwood should be ready to take his place in goal.
Swansea have five players on the treatment table – Leroy Fer, Wilfried Bony, Angel Rangel, Leon Britton and Renato Sanches – and all are expected to miss the trip to Yorkshire. Andre Ayew and Andy King are cup-tied.
Brighton vs Coventry City (Saturday, 3pm)
Brighton boss Chris Hughton may ring the changes for this one as Premier League survival remains a priority. He will definitely be without Isaiah Brown and Steve Sidwell, while Jiri Skalak continues to struggle with an ankle problem.
Coventry City could be without injured midfield general Michael Doyle and full back Jack Grimmer – “They are getting closer but they are not going to be ready for the weekend, or at least I doubt they will,” were boss Mark Robins’ words – while Jordan Maguire-Drew can’t play due to the terms of his loan move from Brighton. Kyel Reid is Cup-tied.
West Brom vs Southampton (Saturday, 3pm)
West Brom should be able to welcome back Hal Robson-Kanu into the fold, but loan signing Daniel Sturridge faces some time out with the hamstring strain he picked up against Chelsea. Jake Livermore is also expected to miss out, while James Morrison and Nacer Chadli are targeting March returns.
Southampton could have problems in attack, with both Charlie Austin and Shane Long currently on the treatment table. There are no other concerns for Mauricio Pellegrino.
Huddersfield Town vs Manchester United (Saturday, 5:30pm)
Laurent Depoitre could return to Huddersfield’s squad for this one, although Aaron Mooy is expected to miss out after suffering a badly cut knee last time out. Elias Kachunga, Jon Stankovic and Chris Lowe will all watch on from the stands.
Jose Mourinho will be without six first team players for this clash, with Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera joining Eric Bailly, Daley Blind, Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the sidelines.
Rochdale vs Tottenham (Sunday, 4pm)
Perhaps Rochdale manager Keith Hill is playing a cagey game, but team news emanating from the Rochdale camp is hard to come by! He will be hoping that top goalscorer Ian Henderson, defensive lynchpin Harrison McGahey and key midfield duo Brad Inman and Matty Done are fit and ready to go on their brand new pitch at the Crown Oil Stadium.
Mauricio Pochettino is likely to ring the changes with bigger fish to fry upcoming, although Toby Alderweireld is expected to continue his rehabilitation from injury with a start here. Lucas Moura could also make his Tottenham debut.
Wigan Athletic vs Manchester City (Monday, 7:55pm)
Wigan will be without cup-tied attacking duo James Vaughan and Devante Cole, while captain Sam Morsy serves a suspension after accumulating ten yellow cards. Shaun MacDonald and Jordan Flores are injured.
Pep Guardiola may welcome back Gabriel Jesus and Vincent Kompany for this match against their fellow Lancastrians, while fringe players like Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Danilo are expected to get a run out.