Big Weekend: Arsenal v Liverpool, Howe’s no-win derby, Oscar Bobb, Maidstone | OneFootball

It's a *very* Big Weekend for Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.

The FA Cup third round hasn’t thrown up a huge amount of giant-killing opportunity but it’s a Big Weekend for Maidstone United, Oscar Bobb, a sixth-tier French side and particularly for Eddie Howe, who’s on a hiding to nothing at the Stadium of Light.

Game to watch: Arsenal v Liverpool A one-point lead over Liverpool after their Christmas Eve Eve draw at Anfield has turned into a five-point deficit after two defeats for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, who needs an FA Cup win more than Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool are favourites to win both the Europa League and the League Cup this season, while Arsenal – particularly given their current form – will have to do something extraordinary to go all the way in the Champions League. Given the expectation that Manchester City will win their last 19 Premier League games to ease to another title, the FA Cup is one and only for the Gunners.

Quite apart from the competition, Arsenal can’t be losing three games on the bounce; particularly not to a rival who they will be playing again at the start of February.

The temptation for both managers will be to play weakened XIs, but while that may make sense for Liverpool – who have a two-legged semi-final against Fulham in the next couple of weeks – the Gunners have just two further games in the rest of January, and should avoid further hits to their confidence by limping out of a competition that offers their best hope of a trophy.

Manager to watch: Eddie Howe Eddie Howe may well have been looking forward to going away to Sunderland when the draw was made a month ago. Newcastle were six points off top spot in the Premier League, and a draw away in Paris to keep their Champions League hopes alive was sandwiched between home victories over Chelsea and Manchester United, with sack talk reserved for managers of the sides that his rambunctious Magpies were putting to the sword.

But now, after seven defeats in eight games has left them 16 points adrift of the league leaders, and dumped out of Europe and the League Cup, as we wonder just how long the domestic power-brokers at Newcastle can keep their Saudi benefactors from wielding the axe, the Stadium of Light – where ‘sacked in the morning’ hymn sheets will be distributed on arrival – is surely the last place he wants to go.

It’s a no-win but must-win game for Howe, who will earn no credit whatsoever should they beat their fierce local rivals given the relative wealth of the two sides, but will feel the wrath of the media, the opposition, and quite possibly his own fans should they lose. Set your alarms for 12.45 on Saturday (15.45 Saudi time) for what could very well be the last knockings of Eddie Howe at Newcastle.

Will Eddie Howe survive the Newcastle slump?

Team to watch: Maidstone United Bit of a shame for National League South side Maidstone that it’s Stevenage rather than a rather more noteworthy opponent after they made the third round for the very first time. But having already knocked out League Two Barnet, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition will see this as a winnable game on their own astroturfed patch.

Stevenage are in the mix for a play-off spot in League One having earned promotion last term, and were no doubt hoping for a more significant draw themselves, but will instead be the giants up for a killing on Saturday afternoon.

Player to watch: Oscar Bobb “He is really good in small spaces like Phil, Bernardo [Silva] and Rico [Lewis],” said Pep Guardiola after Bobb came off the bench to “lift” Manchester City to victory over Sheffield United last time out, threading a ludicrous pass through a gap no-one else knew existed to set up their second goal and doing various other bits of nonsense besides to prompt rivals to curse their misfortune at the best football team in the world uncovering another potential genius.

The 20-year-old has started just two games this season – the League Cup defeat to Newcastle and the Champions League dead rubber win over Red Star Belgrade (in which he scored) – and will presumably be rotated in to face Huddersfield on Sunday, particularly after his telling contribution against the Blades.

EFL game to watch: Mansfield Town v Crewe Alexandra Having beaten league leaders Stockport County 2-0 on New Year’s Day, Mansfield can go one point clear of The Hatters – who don’t play until next weekend – with a win over Crewe, who are currently sat in the play-offs.

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough says the fans are doing a grand job of keeping the players grounded in their promotion push, by reminding them that “we always mess up”, but there’s no doubt this is a real opportunity to return to the third tier of English football for the first time in 21 years.

European game to watch: US Revel v Paris Saint-Germain Sixth-tier US Revel welcome Kylian Mbappe and PSG on Sunday, having apparently gathered in the classroom of a local comprehensive to watch the draw together. Ahhh, the magic of the Coupe.