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The Women’s Super League returns after their Christmas break with the last fixtures taking place on 14 December. It is back with a bang with a huge fixture in Arsenal v Manchester United.
Arsenal are third, in the all important last Champions League qualification spot, while United a point behind them in fourth. A loss for either will be a huge blow to their title hopes with Manchester City already eight and nine points ahead of them respectively, so their chances are already slim.
It is also a crucial game as Tottenham are in fifth and just one point behind United so Spurs could ruffle some feathers when they play tomorrow against Leicester City.
Photograph: Yaroslav Dunka/SPP/ShutterstockShare
Wrexham caused an upset in the FA Cup last night as they knocked out Premier League club Nottingham Forest on penalties. One of their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds was in the stands to watch it and manager Phil Parkinson had a catch up with his boss pre-game. He told TNT Sports:
I had a chat with him before the game and it was great to see him over here with his family. I think Ryan’s mum was here tonight, which was for the first time. So it’s really special and I hope they’ve enjoyed the night. I’m sure that on the flight back home tonight, they’ll be having a few glasses of wine to celebrate.
Parkinson also said the side were worried in extra time they had let their opportunity slip after taking a 2-0 lead at half-time. He added:
We had to rally the troops a bit in the break, because I think the whole ground had gone flat. You get that feeling ‘have we lost our best chance to get through and beat a Premier League team’? But the lads rallied themselves, there was a lot of tired legs, and credit to both sides for putting on such a good game after that busy Christmas schedule. It’s a huge night for us and I’m pleased for this group of players to write their own bit of history in the club’s rich heritage in the FA Cup.
Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
There was supposed to be another match in the FA Cup today between Salford City and Swindon Town but it has been postponed because of a frozen pitch.
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Here is a full list of the FA Cup fixtures on Saturday, all times are in GMT:
Macclesfield v Crystal Palace, 12.15pm
Everton v Sunderland, 12.15pm
Wolves v Shrewsbury, 12.15pm
Cheltenham v Leicester City, 12.15pm
Doncaster v Southampton, 3pm
Stoke City v Coventry, 3pm
Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford, 3pm
Newcastle v Bournemouth, 3pm
Fulham v Middlesbrough, 3pm
Ipswich Town v Blackpool, 3pm
Manchester City v Exeter City, 3pm
Burnley v Millwall, 3pm
Boreham Wood v Burton, 3pm
Cambridge United v Birmingham City, 5.45pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa, 5.45pm
Grimsby Town v Weston-super-Mare, 5.45pm
Bristol City v Watford, 5.45pm
Charlton v Chelsea, 8pm
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Which games are we covering live today? Well the Guardian are keeping you up to date with minute-by-minute reports across all the competitions this Saturday.
In the FA Cup we will be covering defending champions Crystal Palace’s trip to Macclesfield, as well as having a 3pm clockwatch and blogs on Tottenham v Aston Villa and Charlton v Chelsea.
We will also be covering Algeria v Nigeria in AFCON as well as Arsenal v Manchester United in the Women’s Super League. So whatever match you are after today we have you covered.
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As previously mentioned there are a lot of football fixtures today but let’s take a spin through some of the biggest matches.
In the FA Cup, all eyes will be on the new Chelsea manager Liam Rosenoir as he takes charge of his first game in a fixture against Charlton Athletic. While there is a reunion for Newcastle boss Eddie Howe as his side host his former team Bournemouth.
In AFCON, there are two quarter-finals with Algeria taking on Nigeria and Egypt playing the Ivory Coast.
The Women’s Super League also returns with Women’s Champions League holders Arsenal hosting Manchester United – more on this game shortly.
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Updated at 03.20 EST
Before we dive into today’s action, a lot of matches took place yesterday. There was a shock in the FA Cup as Wrexham knocked out Nottingham Forest on penalties.
The game was a thriller as the Welsh club got to a 2-0 lead at half-time. Forest managed to get it back to 2-2 before Wrexham restored their lead but then Callum Hudson-Odoi levelled it once again. Then the fortunes favoured the hosts in the shootout.
In AFCON, Cameroon lost 2-0 to Morocco and Senegal defeated Mali 1-0 in their respective quarter-finals. Morocco are the hosts of the tournament and some felt they finally showed some of the skill they displayed at their historic run at the World Cup a few years ago.
There were a smattering of results across Europe too including in La Liga Getafe lost 2-1 to Real Sociedad.
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Preamble
Welcome, welcome one and all to matchday live where we will build up to today’s football action. There are a myriad of different stories in play today including Liam Rosenior’s bow for Chelsea.
Enzo Maresca departed the club on New Year’s Day and Rosenior was appointed on 6 January. His first game therefore will be the Blues’ third round FA Cup tie against Charlton Athletic, which kicks off at 8pm GMT.
That is not all we will cover over the next few hours as there are 18 FA Cup games in total today, as well as the return of the Women’s Super League and AFCON quarter-finals.
How are you spending the day? Are you heading to a game? Heading to the pub to watch with friends? Or staying at home with your feet up to catch up on the action? We would love to know. Get in touch via matchday.live@theguardian.com to tell us your plans and predictions.
Right let’s get this show on the road, shall we?
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