FA Cup third-round storylines: Premier League clubs enter competition looking to avoid upsets as road to Wembley heats up

The Road to Wembley heats up with one of the biggest weekends in the English football calendar. The Emirates FA Cup third round gets underway on Friday and supporters will be able to watch 22 matches from the competition across the next four days live on TNT Sports and discovery+. But what are the main storylines? Who will cause the biggest upset of the round? TNT Sports looks ahead to the action.

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One of the biggest weekends in the English football calendar is upon us as Premier League clubs enter the Emirates FA Cup competition for the first time this season.

The third round of the FA Cup gets underway on Friday night and you will be able to follow all the action from Friday to Monday night on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Fans will be able to tune in and watch 22 cup ties over four days, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, meaning you can watch every game that falls outside the 15:00 Saturday blackout window.

The Emirates FA Cup

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But what are the main storylines heading into this weekend's action?

Can Manchester United finally look forward despite a chaotic few days which saw Ruben Amorim depart the club? Will Liam Rosenior enjoy the perfect start to his Chelsea tenure? Can Macclesfield stun holders Crystal Palace?

TNT Sports looks ahead to the best of the FA Cup third-round action.

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Can Man Utd get back on track?

"Why does this keep happening?" was the question posed by former Manchester United player Owen Hargreaves in his exclusive interview with TNT Sports following the sacking of Ruben Amorim on Monday.

It is a question that the club's fanbase has been asking for a while and yet there are no clear-cut answers.

A manic and chaotic week at Old Trafford will culminate with United starting their journey to win the FA Cup for the second time in three years when they host Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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With the Premier League title out of reach once again and United still reeling from the embarrassment of losing to fourth-tier side Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup at the start of the season, the FA Cup remains their only chance at silverware.

Former midfielder Darren Fletcher will be at the helm for the cup tie on Sunday after his first game saw United slump to a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Burnley.

After The Red Devils face The Seagulls, it is looking likely that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Michael Carrick could lead the club in an interim role until the end of the season.

During Solskjaer's previous four-year tenure at the club as manager, he led United to an FA Cup semi-final but could not find a way past Frank Lampard's Chelsea.

The Norwegian appears favourite for a shock return and United fans will be hoping that he can go further and get the club over the line in a Wembley final.

Last chance saloon for Slot?

What a difference a year makes for Arne Slot and Liverpool.

Last season, The Reds headed into their third-round tie with a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, a spot in the Carabao Cup final in the bag and sealed first place in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.

That might have been one of the reasons why Slot decided to rotate his team for their trip to Plymouth Argyle, but the decision backfired and Liverpool were dumped out in one of the biggest shocks in the competition's history.

Given Liverpool's inconsistent form this term, there is little chance of Slot making wholesale changes with the FA Cup presenting the club's only realistic chance of winning silverware.

Liverpool's form has improved following a damaging start to the campaign, and they will head into the cup tie in the Champions League spots, but Slot can ill-afford to take the competition lightly.

The Reds welcome Barnsley to Anfield on Monday night, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, and the League One outfit already boast a memorable FA Cup victory on Merseyside in 2008 when Brian Howard scored a dramatic last-gasp winner in front of the Kop.

Can history repeat itself?

How will Rosenior fare on Chelsea bow?

Chelsea decide to sack their manager during the season and end up winning the FA Cup... sound familiar?

The Blues parted ways with Luiz Felipe Scolari (2009) and Andre Villas-Boas (2012) and enjoyed glory at Wembley at the end of those seasons.

The club and the supporters will be hopeful of repeating the feat when Liam Rosenior takes his place in the Chelsea hotseat for the first time when they travel to Charlton on Saturday evening, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Rosenior replaces the departing Enzo Maresca who was given his marching orders on New Year's Day.

Although the Italian left the club under a dark cloud, he will be remembered for bringing trophies back to Stamford Bridge after winning the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup last season.

Can Rosenior enjoy as much success as his predecessor?

History suggests that Rosenior will get off to the perfect start as Chelsea have come away victorious from their previous FA Cup ties against Charlton with 3-0 wins.

With the likes of Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Pedro in the team, Charlton will need to be at their very best to overcome their London rivals, but the FA Cup is always full of surprises.

Can Macclesfield stun the holders?

Can the non-league side pull off one of the biggest upsets of the round when they host FA Cup holders Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon?

You can catch all the action from the cup tie live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

It has been quite a journey for Macclesfield FC this season after they reached this stage of the competition for the first time in their history.

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The Silkmen - initially called Macclesfield Town - were wound up by the High Court after debts totalled more than £500,000 and returned as Macclesfield FC in 2020.

They face a tough task as Palace have grown into a force under manager Oliver Glasner and The Eagles will be looking to retain their crown for the first time since Arsenal achieved the feat in 2015.

Speculation continues over the future of Glasner and Palace captain Marc Guehi, but both men will be hopeful of giving the Palace fans another successful trip to Wembley in May.

Even though the FA Cup tie will go down as one of the biggest days in the club's history, it will also be an emotional affair after Macclesfield forward Ethan McLeod died in a car accident last month.

Saturday's match allows the football community to come together as one to remember McLeod and The Silkmen will do everything in their power to continue his legacy.

Cupsets on the cards?

Could defeat in the FA Cup seal the fate of Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham United?

Since the Portuguese replaced Graham Potter at The Hammers in September, the club have not enjoyed an upturn in form and find themselves seven points from safety in the Premier League following a damaging defeat to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Queens Park Rangers travel to West Ham and no club have been eliminated from the third round of the FA Cup more often than them since 1925.

QPR have been knocked out at this stage 52 times, but this weekend hands them a chance to put that record behind them and heap more misery on their city neighbours.

Another Premier League side who might suffer a shock are Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rob Edwards' men sit bottom of the league with a total of seven points and look destined for relegation.

Shrewsbury Town head to Molineux on Saturday and they are also enduring a miserable campaign in League Two, sitting two places off the bottom.

The FA Cup presents both sides with a chance to put their league form behind them and potentially lift their supporters with a much-needed cup run.

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Elsewhere, Manchester City will face Exeter City for the first time. Can the League One team produce one of the biggest shocks in recent times?

Incredibly, Pep Guardiola's outfit are yet to taste victory in 2026 which has seen them slip further behind Arsenal in the title race after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Brighton.

However, City can bounce back and they have the chance to equal Liverpool's FA Cup record of 16 consecutive home wins in the competition on Saturday.

Since joining the club in 2016, Guardiola has never tasted defeat in the third round of the FA Cup but as we have seen over the years, anything can happen in this competition.

The Emirates FA Cup