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[u][b]Tottenham v Bolton, 19:30, ESPN[/b][/u] Though Spurs are now without a league win in five, a creditable goalless draw at Stamford Bridge suggests they are the over the worst of their slump. Securing Champions League football might remain their priority but the small matter of a potential Wembley semi-final against Chelsea should help concentrate their minds. In spite of their recent wobble, Tottenham's home form remains very respectable. Spurs have won three of their last five at the Lane, while the two Manchester clubs remain the only teams to have won at Tottenham in domestic football this season. Tottenham are unbeaten against Bolton in eight meetings at White Hart Lane, seven of which they have won. And Bolton's away record is none too impressive. Owen Coyle's side...

[u]Tottenham v Stevenage, Wednesday 19:45, ESPN[/u] It was the goalless draw at Broadhall Way in the initial instalment of this FA Cup fifth round tie that sapped Tottenham of all momentum ahead of the defeats to Arsenal and Manchester United which killed off their Premier League title challenge. However, as is often the case for a lower-league team who manage to produce the performance of a lifetime in a glamorous cup game, Stevenage have suffered just as badly since their first heroic showing in front of the cameras. Having entered that on a run of eight victories in ten, they suddenly find themselves winless in five. This is also the fourth straight midweek in which they have played - Spurs' far larger squad have had the last four off - so finding the energy to frustrate the...

[u]Middlesbrough v Sunderland, Wednesday 19:45, ITV1 [/u] Steve Bruce certainly wasn't universally popular on Wearside, so Ellis Short and co can be satisfied with their work in identifying the best available successor, as two months in, boyhood Sunderland fan Martin O'Neill appears incapable of doing any wrong. He has guided them to seven wins in ten Premier League games, including five in their last six, and up from 18th to eighth, but all that will be overshadowed if he manages to do something even more unlikely: make them a threat in the FA Cup again. The two-time winners haven't reached the fifth round since the painful experience of losing a semi-final to Millwall in 2003-04, beating just one Football League team in seven years prior to their third-round victory at Peterborough...

[u]Watford v Tottenham, Friday 19:45 BST, ESPN[/u] Despite Tottenham's recent wobbles - if a home draw with Wolves and last-gasp reverse away to Manchester City count as such - it is difficult to make a case for them exiting the FA Cup to Championship strugglers Watford. If the fixture was taking place a few weeks ago, with Watford unbeaten in eight, it might be different, but since putting some breathing space between themselves and the drop zone, they have lost three straight league games. Spurs have a fine record at Vicarage Road, visiting five times without defeat since 1987, the last trip ending in a 2-1 victory in the Carling Cup three seasons ago. Add into the equation that they have won the four FA Cup clashes between the pair, and it is easy to see why they are 1.54 favourites. [u]Over/under...

[u]Leicester v Nottingham Forest (Tuesday, 19:30, ESPN) [/u] With Leicester and Nottingham Forest starting the season with former England managers, few would have guessed that Derby would be the east midlands' leading light midway through the campaign, but that reflects how miserable things have been for their neighbours. Both have changed bosses without any noticeable improvement, Leicester still seven points off the play-off pace under Nigel Pearson and Forest stuck in the bottom three with Steve Cotterill, and they head into this clash on the back of home defeats to Barnsley and Southampton. Leicester have a better squad, however there are several reasons to believe that laying them is the best option here at 1.8. For starters, they have bowed out at this stage in four of the...

[u]Arsenal v Leeds, Monday 19:45pm, ESPN [/u] There are many who question Arsene Wenger's recent record in the transfer market, but his first foray into the January window was a fairly shrewd one. With Arsenal's fine autumn form making way for a run of just four wins in ten in all competitions as the weather has grown colder and the skies darker earlier, it is as if he has anticipated crowd unrest and fresh criticism of his revamped squad, and distracted fans with the return of Thierry Henry. Following confirmation of his two-month loan on Friday, their all-time record goalscorer is eligible for Monday's FA Cup third round tie at home to Leeds, a club who Opta note he has netted 11 times in 11 clashes with, a tally that he will trade at about 2.36 to add to. With Henry expected...

Weighing up form between teams from different divisions is the major problem for FA Cup punters, but there are some statistical guidelines that might make this weekend's third-round ties easier to solve. One group that does consistently well is the top-12 in the Championship, who enter the competition with good form behind them in the first half of the season and often feature a surprise performer in the FA Cup, granted a favourable draw. Last season, for example, Reading were eighth in the Championship at this stage of the season and they progressed furthest of the teams from outside the Premier League, going out 1-0 away to eventual winners Manchester City in the quarter-finals. With momentum on their side, the top-12 in the Championship usually deliver the goods when paired against...

FA Cup quarter-finals don't come much bigger than a meeting between the Premier League's top two clubs, but that's exactly what we have here as Manchester United host Arsenal in a mouthwatering tie that has gained extra significance in the last 10 days or so. For United it's a chance to put the back-to-back league defeats behind them that has seen the title race blown wide open. The Gunners of course are United's chief threat in that title race, but after losing the Carling Cup Final and being knocked-out of the Champions League in midweek, there is extra pressure on Arsene Wenger's men to keep alive two chances of winning a piece of silverware for the first time in nearly six years. Nemanja Vidic will return to the United back-line following his one-game suspension but his central-defensive...

[b]Last year's double winners have been a pale shadow of their former selves this time around and there are signs that this could be a long-term decline, says Richard Aikman.[/b] So where do Chelsea go from here? Out of the FA Cup, out of the League Cup, and by Carlo Ancelotti's own admission, out of the Premier League running as well (they are [26] to remain champions this season). On Tuesday they take on FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League, where defeat is unthinkable. So how does Carletto steer Chelsea out of the storm? FC Copenhagen were every group winners desired round of 16 opponents, but now you have to wander whether they are worth backing at 5.9 to beat the Blues in Denmark. Indeed the 6.6 about Jesper Gronkjaer and Co reaching the quarter-finals at Chelsea's expense...