What time does West Ham vs Liverpool kick off?
It's football, it's Tuesday night, so it's 19.45. Always the same.
What TV channel is the match on?
BT Sport will be taking care of this one. But it's been relegated to BT Sport 2. Interestingly, BT Sport 1 will be showing "Formula E:esports". This isn't an electric car race but actual, honest-to-goodness, televised videogames. It's accomplished nerds taking turns to see who's best at driving the immaculate digital cars of Forza Motorsport. What a time to be alive. Sorry, focus, concentrate on the actual sport...
What's at stake?
Only progress in the world's oldest cup competition! That's more exciting than any trophy you can win with an XBox controller! The winner of this match will play Blackburn Rovers away on Sunday 21 February. Which, on second thoughts, might be slightly less exciting than videogames.
What happened last time?
It was a 0-0 draw at Anfield. But wait! Come back! It wasn't horrendous!
Liverpool played a young side which won a lot of plaudits. West Ham, also under-strength, defended well and reserve keeper Darren Randolph deputised impressively for Adrian, who was in Spain selfishly watching the birth of his child.
Neither team really wanted the replay, as noted by Sam Wallace in his match report:
A draw was better than a defeat where both managers concerned but, in the words of Slaven Bilic, neither of them were “crazy” about the prospect of another game to their already hectic schedules. Klopp made the more radical changes – ten different outfield players from the side that prevailed on penalties against Stoke in the Capital One Cup semi-final – but his team were also the better of the two sides.
For Klopp it was better than losing but only just. “It is how it is,” he said. “I think the most important thing is everyone could see our line-up was not disrespectful to the FA Cup. It was the other way around. We thought this was the best chance for us to go through. This young team did really well. They played not too often together but they did well. We had a good structure. We had chances. At the end it is a draw. We should have scored in one of the other situations. Now we play again.”
What's the head-to-head record?
Overall in meetings between these two Liverpool have won 68 times, West Ham 36, and there have been 27 draws.
In the FA Cup, though, West Ham have never beaten Liverpool. Tonight will be their seventh meeting in the competition. Liverpool have won three, and the other three were draws.
Who's going to win?
With Liverpool expected to pick another inexperienced starting XI, and possibly still distracted by all those empty seats at Anfield at the weekend, West Ham are very slight favourites.
The home side are 8/5, Liverpool are 7/4 and the draw after 90 minutes is 11/5.
What are you saying?
What's the team news?
Liverpool strikers Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi and playmaker Philippe Coutinho are all set to be included in the squad.
All three returned to training last week and Sturridge was an unused substitute at the weekend. Midfielders Joe Allen (hamstring) and Cameron Brannagan (illness) will not play while centre-back Dejan Lovren is likely to be rested as a precaution after being taken off with cramp at the weekend.
Provisional squad: Mignolet, Flanagan, Toure, Caulker, Smith, Lucas, Stewart, Can, Ibe, Teixeira, Benteke, Ward, Clyne, Ilori, Sakho, Milner, Lallana, Ojo, Coutinho, Sturridge, Origi, Sinclair.
West Ham will be without James Tomkins, after the defender suffered a calf injury at Southampton on Saturday, and with Sam Byram cup-tied and Carl Jenkinson back at parent club Arsenal due to knee ligament damage, Joey O'Brien will step in at right-back.
Cheikhou Kouyate is available after missing the defeat at St Mary's with an eye infection, but Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho (both thigh) are still absent.
Provisional squad: Adrian, Randolph, Collins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, O'Brien, Oxford, Noble, Kouyate, Song, Obiang, Moses, Payet, Cullen, Valencia, Antonio, Carroll, Jelavic, Emenike.
What are they saying?
Dimitri Payet's stellar form might force West Ham United to offer him an improved contract, despite the midfielder signing a five-and-a-half year deal upon joining the club during the close season, manager Slaven Bilic has said.
Payet, who joined from French side Olympique de Marseille, has gained plenty of plaudit during his impressive debut season, leading West Ham's charge for European football next campaign and scoring six goals in 22 appearances.
The France international is earning around £70,000 a week with the Hammers.
"We have to move and the most important move is to keep your best players and to add some new players who are needed," Bilic said.
"Dimitri Payet is our best player -- I have no problem whatsoever to say that. Of course, I would love to have him happy, long term, at the club.
"He signed only a few months ago but he has made a huge impact -- a very, very huge impact -- and while he has a long contract, five-and-a-half years, he is in a good position."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged the Liverpool board to find a satisfactory solution with the supporters after concerns were raised about the club's ticket pricing structure at Anfield next season.
Around 10,000 fans headed for the exits at Anfield during Saturday's 2-2 Premier League draw with Sunderland, in protest against the highest priced £77 ticket for next season.
Klopp denied the fans' walkout on Saturday affected his players on the pitch, as Liverpool let three points slip from their grasp after throwing away their two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes of the game.
"No, that's absolutely not allowed to think something like this I saw the reasons on the pitch and they had nothing to do with it. It was a completely different situation to what we spoke about a few months ago," Klopp told British media.
"In my position I have only a few words on this but we have to really think about it and to have talks. I know (chief executive) Ian Ayre has already had some talks but we are in contact and that is very important.
"We are really interested in finding a solution.
"We should talk about this and hopefully in the end find a solution that everyone can be satisfied with. It is really rare that you find a solution where everybody says 'yes!'. You have to make compromises. That's how it is."
- Telegraph