Match to catch

After shocking Liverpool 3-2 at home in the previous round of the FA Cup, Oldham Athletic are back in the spotlight again this weekend. The Latics, who are in the relegation zone in English football’s third tier and who will be managed by caretaker boss Tony Philliskirk following the resignation of Paul Dickov earlier this month, this time get to take on the Reds’ Merseyside rivals Everton at Boundary Park. The Toffees always take this competition seriously as it gives them a realistic chance of winning the first silverware of David Moyes’ 11-year reign — the closest they have come previously is FA Cup runners-up to Chelsea in 2009 — and they can be expected to learn from their bitter rivals’ mistakes. Prediction: Everton.

Keep an eye on

The only Premier League game of the weekend sees Liverpool back in action at Anfield, less than a week after they suffered an embarrassing 2-0 defeat there to West Brom. Swansea City are the visitors this time and will undoubtedly be distracted — they admitted as much during their time in Dubai last week — by the fact they have their big League Cup final against Bradford City at Wembley next weekend. Michael Laudrup’s team will undoubtedly give it their all — and they won at Anfield on their run to the cup final — but you just suspect they won’t have the edge needed to get a result this time. Prediction: Liverpool.

For the purists

For second division Millwall, their cup tie at non-league Luton Town, who won at Premier League Norwich City in the last round, represents a great chance for them to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. For most others it represents a game that can be glossed over. Prediction: Millwall.

Showing form

Manchester United can be very happy with their performance in earning a 1-1 Champions League draw at Real Madrid in midweek, when their goalkeeper David de Gea produced a string of fine saves to give his side a slight advantage going into the second leg. United, however, will have to make sure they don’t ease off when they host Reading on Monday as, whisper it quietly, they’re still on for a repeat of their unforgettable 1999 treble. Prediction: United.

Need a win

Manchester City can’t slip up at home to second-division Leeds, can they? Well they will if they play like they did against Southampton last week. That 3-1 defeat at St Mary’s marked a low point in Roberto Mancini’s reign, and how they react to it could be crucial to Mancini’s hopes of extending his Etihad Stadium reign beyond this summer. Prediction: City.

Last week’s predictions

A buoyant four out of five last week thanks in part to the wins for Man United, Spurs and Arsenal — but by far the biggest correct call was picking out the Norwich-Fulham clash as a bore draw. The match finished 0-0 and was described as ‘dismal’ by the BBC, ‘laboured’ by ESPN Soccernet, ‘sorely lacking in attacking quality’ by Goal.com, and ‘a total snooze-fest’ by me. Even the purists might have stayed away from that one.