Sheffield United: Davies, Gilchrist, Baptiste, Norrington-Davies, Burrows, Blacker, Brooks, Brewster, Marsh, McCallum, Oné

Subs: Faxon, Hamer, O’Hare, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Boyes, Hampson, Colechin, Aston

Cardiff: Horvath, Kpakio, Fish, Daland, Bagan, Ng, Ralls, Colwill, Tanner, Ashford, Etete

Subs: Turner, Davies, Giles, Siopis, Rinomhota, Robertson, Willock, Jefferies, Pearce

This is a tale of two Championship clubs experiencing very different seasons. United are third while Cardiff are tied up in a relegation scrap, only Plymouth below them.

Quite the drama … and the real stuff hasn’t even kicked off yet. Sean Dyche was sacked as Everton manager earlier today, just hours before their FA Cup third-round tie against Peterborough, the 53-year-old denied his own Robins-Fergie moment. Leighton Baines, the former left-back and now Everton’s under-18s coach, takes charge tonight alongside Seamus Coleman, which is giving off real 2013/14 vibes.

The more wholesome story of the evening is the possibility of Ashley Young lining up against his son Tyler, who plays as a midfielder for Posh. This interview is very sweet.

That tie kicks off at 7.45pm GMT, alongside Watford’s trip to Fulham, which will see Marco Silva come up against his old side. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the Cottagers this season with all their flair going forward, and reckon they’ve got a decent cup run in them. Before that, Sheffield United host Cardiff City at 7pm, so let’s keep an eye on that, too.

Here’s to the magic of the cup, and the joy it still provides even as it comes up against questions of relevance. For all of Manchester United’s misery last year, it’d be hard to find a supporter who wasn’t ecstatic when they triumphed over City in May.

Let’s get going: feel free to drop in your thoughts, queries, worries, predictions, whatever you fancy. Cheers!