Football: Match-by-match guide to Tomorrow's and Monday's third- round matches

Saturday 02 January 1999 00:02 GMT
Comments

Sheff Wed v Norwich (Sun)

W: 1896, 1907, 35 Cup best Semi-final: 1959, 89, 92

Apps: 5 Wins: 4 3rd rnd form (last 5 years) Apps: 5 Wins: 3

THE Sheffield Wednesday manager, Danny Wilson, must wait for an all clear from striker Andy Booth before deciding on his line-up to face Norwich at Hillsborough. Booth turned an ankle in the 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Monday but managed to complete the game.

The Wednesday manager will have to decide which system to use having switched to using three centre-backs for the Villa match until he was forced to revert to a back four by the sending off of Dejan Stefanovic.

The Norwich manager, Bruce Rioch, is set to stick with an unchanged side but will be without the services of Craig Bellamy, who is still out with the knee injury suffered against Wolves. The striker Keith O'Neill will also miss out because of a hamstring injury.

Man Utd v Middlesbro (Sun)

W: 1909, 48, 63, 77, 83, 85, 90, 94, 96 Cup best Final: 1997

Apps: 5 Wins: 5 3rd rnd form (last 5 years) Apps: 5 Wins: 3

DWIGHT YORKE will return for Manchester United against Middlesbrough after recovering from a groin strain which kept him out for all but an hour of the last five games.

With Yorke rejoining Andy Cole in the United attack, Paul Scholes is likely to drop into midfield to partner Roy Keane, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs. Ferguson could also call up teenager Jonathan Greening for his FA Cup debut on the right.

Wes Brown and Philip Neville are in contention for the right-back spot as Ronny Johnsen partners Jaap Stam at the centre of the defence.

Middlesbrough will give late fitness tests to Paul Gascoigne (knee), Gary Pallister (heel) and Robbie Mustoe (hamstring). Italian defender Gianluca Festa is suspended.

Port Vale v Liverpool (Sun)

Semi-final: 1954 Cup best W: 1965, 74, 86, 89, 92

Apps: 4 Wins: 2 3rd rnd form (last 5 years) Apps: 5 Wins: 3

LIVERPOOL WILL have their captain Paul Ince available after a one-match ban. But his England colleague Steve McManaman is out again, this time with an ankle injury sustained in his comeback match on Monday when he lasted just 25 minutes in the 4-2 win over Newcastle.

Robbie Fowler, who missed that game with a leg injury, is expected to be back in the squad. He may find himself on the bench, though, since the Michael Owen and Karlheinz Riedle partnership grabbed two goals apiece against the Magpies.

Neil Brisco, 20, who is wearing a cast on a hand injury, looks set to start because of a flu bug which has swept through the Port Vale midfield. On-loan pair Tony Rougier and Des Lyttle are ineligible.

Preston v Arsenal (Mon)

W: 1889, 1938 Cup best W: 1930, 36, 50, 71, 79, 93, 98

Apps: 2 Wins: 1 3rd rnd form (last 5 years) Apps: 5 Wins: 3

THE PRESTON manager, David Moyes, has a doubtful starter in defender Gary Parkinson who has a flu virus.

The Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp, who limped out of the Gunners' game with Charlton with an ankle injury, has an outside chance of playing. Nicolas Anelka is kept out by an ankle injury sustained on Boxing Day against West Ham. Fabian Caballero or Christopher Wreh are on standby to replace Bergkamp with Marc Overmars ready to switch to a central role. Arsenal have Tony Adams, David Seaman, Stephen Hughes, Fredrik Ljungberg and Nigel Winterburn injured and Gilles Grimandi is suspended.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in