Beleaguered Allardyce seeks Cup tonic

Boos rang around St James' Park again after Newcastle had been beaten 2-0 in the Premier League by Manchester City Wednesday, while away fans serenaded Allardyce with calls of "You'll be sacked in the morning."

   He almost certainly will not, but he could be edged closer to the exit by defeat at Stoke, who lie fourth in the Championship table and have lost just three times at home this season.

 Allardyce received support from his opposite number, Sven-Goran Eriksson.

 "Sam Allardyce is a very good manager - you saw that in the past with Bolton," he said. "Give him time and he will sort it out, I am sure."

   Patience, though, is running thin in Tyneside.

 Another Premier League club facing a testing away side is Portsmouth.

 With their form wobbling, they travel to Ipswich Town, who have won 11 and drawn two of their 13 league games this season.

 Premier League leaders Arsenal will hardly be relishing their trip to Burnley, either.

 Burnley lie midtable in the Championship, with just two home wins this season, but their manager Owen Coyle insists their form is better than that.

 "We're just not being clinical," he said. His side will be buoyed by memories of their 1-0 win over Liverpool at the same stage of the competition three years ago.

 Liverpool themselves travel to Luton, a reprise of their third-round fixture form 2006. Then they trailed 3-1, before coming back to win 5-3, thanks in part to a goal from inside his own half by Xabi Alonso.

 This has been a difficult season for Luton though, and with them lying fourth bottom of League One, Liverpool will expect an easier ride this time around.

 Chelsea should also progress without too much difficulty at home to QPR, but the Championship side have shown improved form recently, and have three new players - Hogan Ephraim, Akos Buzsaky and Matthew Connolly - as they beginning the spending spree expected after Flavio Briatore, Bernie Ecclestone and the Mittal family invested in the club.

 Manchester United travel to Aston Villa in the pick of the all-Premiership ties, while Reading travel to Tottenham in a repeat of last Saturday's league meeting, which ended 6-4 to the London club.

 West Ham United host Manchester City, while Wigan Athletic travel to Sunderland.

DPA