Five talking points ahead of the FA Cup third-round action | OneFootball

Five things to look out for in the FA Cup’s third round this weekend, featuring Graham Potter’s debut at West Ham and Salford seeking to upset their big-name neighbours.

What will Graham Potter bring to West Ham?

Friday’s FA Cup fixtures will see West Ham travel to Aston Villa, as Graham Potter begins his reign with the Hammers. Having only been appointed on Thursday, there has been little time for preparation for the new head coach.

Potter arrives tasked with turning around the club’s faltering season and it is hoped he can implement an identity more aligned with East London expectations. David Moyes and Julen Lopetegui were both unpopular for pragmatism, and Potter’s reputation for aesthetic football precedes him. Finding the balance between style and substance will determine whether the ex-Brighton boss succeeds at the London Stadium.

New Spurs signing to face fright with Tonks throw-in

Antonin Kinsky can be pleased with his debut in English football. The shot-stopper helped Tottenham to a clean sheet on debut in midweek, as Spurs secured a slender advantage in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool. The Czech stopper had arrived in North London just days earlier but looked assured for a 21-year-old taking a big career leap.

Tottenham travel to Tamworth in a classic David and Goliath FA Cup tie this weekend. The non-league side hopes to cause a huge upset and have a secret weapon up their sleeve. Central midfielder Tom Tonks has caused panic in penalty boxes with a ginormous throw-in that Kinsky will have to be alert to deal with. As a raw new arrival in English football, it will be a baptism of fire for the January recruit.

Accrington Stanley – who are they?

Accrington Stanley have been the butt of jokes ever since a famous advertisement aired in the 1980s. In the advert, a young Liverpool fan tells his friend that if he does not drink milk, the club’s star striker, Ian Rush, says he will only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley.

The iconic reply “Accrington Stanley – who are they?” has followed the Lancashire side since and this weekend has offered up the first meeting between Liverpool and Accrington since that advert aired.

Only once before in any competition have the sides encountered each other when a Billy Liddell brace earned the Reds a 2-0 win over Stanley in the FA Cup third round in January 1956.

Salford seek to upset neighbours

Manchester City and Salford City are separated by less than five miles geographically, but there is a chasm between the neighbouring sides in football terms. The first-ever meeting between the Blues and Salford takes place this weekend, with the latter having progressed to the FA Cup’s third round for the first time.

Part-funded by a collection of Manchester United greats, Salford have risen from non-league to establish themselves as a professional outfit but have struggled to climb out of the fourth tier.

Optimism is back, however, with Karl Robinson’s side up to third after a six-game winning run in League Two. If the Ammies are to stretch that sequence to seven successive wins, it would be one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time.

Can Manchester United build on Anfield performance

Ruben Amorim has insisted Manchester United will improve with time on the training ground and last weekend’s spirited draw at Liverpool showed shoots of growth. Amorim’s team were disciplined and compact at Anfield, holding the Premier League leaders to a 2-2 draw.

After a shaky start to his tenure, it was a performance that offered encouragement. United face another difficult away day this weekend, after being paired with Arsenal in the FA Cup’s third round.

The Red Devils have lost their last four meetings with the North Londoners, including a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates earlier in the campaign.

Given Arsenal’s league-leading set-piece record and United’s vulnerability from dead-balls, the contest will be a good barometer of the visitor’s progress under the new manager.

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See more – West Ham: Five potential transfer targets for Graham Potter

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