Premier League did not stop for the holidays, surpassing already the halfway point, but will have to stop for a full week as the third round of the FA Cup takes place this weekend, starting Friday. And it is the round where Premier League and EFL Championship clubs join the competition for the first time.
Last year, Crystal Palace stunned Liverpool, when they were dominating in Premier League (a very different Liverpool from the current one, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, whom they meet tonight at 20:00 GMT, 21:00 CET).
The draw of the FA Cup, held in December, mostly placed top clubs (first and second division) with lower ranked clubs that have succeeded in the previous rounds, although there will be four all-Premier League matches and five all-Championship matches, including Manchester United vs. Brighton and Everton vs. Sunderland.
These are all the FA Cup matches this weekend:
FA Cup matches times (third round)
Friday, January 9
Milton Keynes Dons v. Oxford United: 19:30 GMT, 20:30 CET
Port Vale v. Fleetwood Town: 19:30 GMT, 20:30 CET
Preston North End v. Wigan Athletic: 19:30 GMT, 20:30 CET
Wrexham v. Nottingham Forest: 19:30 GMT, 20:30 CET
Saturday, January 10
Cheltenham Town v. Leicester City: 12:15 GMT, 13:15 CET
Everton v. Sunderland: 12:15 GMT, 13:15 CET
Macclesfield v. Crystal Palace: 12:15 GMT, 13:15 CET
Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Shrewsbury Town: 12:15 GMT, 13:15 CET
Boreham Wood v. Burton Albion: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Burnley v. Millwall: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Doncaster Rovers v. Southampton: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Fulham v. Middlesbrough: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Ipswich Town v. Blackpool: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Manchester City v. Exeter City: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Newcastle United v. AFC Bournemouth: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Salford City v. Swindon Town: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Sheffield Wednesday v. Brentford: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Stoke City v. Coventry City: 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET
Bristol City v. Watford: 17:45 GMT, 18:45 CET
Cambridge United v. Birmingham City: 17:45 GMT, 18:45 CET
Tottenham Hotspur v. Aston Villa: 17:45 GMT, 18:45 CET
Grimsby Town v. Weston Super Mare: 17:45 GMT, 18:45 CET
Charlton Athletic v. Chelsea: 20:00 GMT, 19:00 CET
Sunday, January 11
Derby County v. Leeds United: 12:00 GMT, 13:00 CET
Portsmouth v. Arsenal: 14:00 GMT, 15:00 CET
Hull City v. Blackburn Rovers: 14:30 GMT, 15:30 CET
Norwich City v. Walsall: 14:30 GMT, 15:30 CET
Sheffield United v. Mansfield Town: 14:30 GMT, 15:30 CET
Swansea City v. West Bromwich Albion: 14:30 GMT, 15:30 CET
West Ham United v. Queens Park Rangers: 14:30 GMT, 15:30 CET
Manchester United v. Brighton & Hove Albion: 16:30 GMT, 17:30 CET
Monday, January 12
Liverpool v. Barnsley: 19:45 GMT, 20:45 CET
Do you think there will be some "giant-killers" in the FA Cup this year? Last year, Arsenal was eliminated at this stage... by Manchester United on penalties.