Elated Middlesbrough can find it tough at Deepdale

Middlesbrough are on a crest of a wave following their resounding 3-0 win over Chelsea and the midweek 2-1 away victory at Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup third round, first leg.

After the league setbacks of late, including a 4-0 thumping by Aston Villa at the Riverside Stadium, Boro wanted to show that they are still a force to be reckoned with, particularly at home, and gave champions Chelsea the run-around when nobody had expected it.

Tomorrow, the Teessiders travel to Deepdale to play Championship side Preston in one of the eight ties of the FA Cup this weekend.

Billy Davies's North Enders have not been defeated in their last 25 games, including the draw at Southampton in midweek.

Critics in the UK have now started to watch Preston's rise once more. Before, they were not given a chance for promotion despite having reached last year's play-off final and then transferred key players Richard Cresswell and Eddie Lewis.

In the Championship, the talk is about Preston's striker David Nugent. He is considered as the third brightest English prospect following Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) and Theo Walcott (Arsenal).

Preston repelled the advances of Everton, the side Nugent supported in his boyhood days, in the January transfer window. Tom Finney, the club's president and still the side's biggest fan, has often raved when he talked about the future of Nugent.

For the third consecutive time, Boro have been drawn away in the competition, having drawn their previous two ties and then finished the job at home.

On past clashes, Preston lead 3-2 - their latest win coming in 1986-87, 1-0 at Boro in the third round.

Brentford and Colchester are the sides left in the FA Cup that do not represent the top two divisions.

The League One teams are drawn away and occupy promotion places in their section.

Brentford will take a short trip to the Valley today to face Charlton in a London derby. The board are rubbing their hands with glee, knowing the windfall will compensate for the wage bill of the entire season.

Buoyed by their win over Sunderland (2-1 at home) in the previous round, Brentford have lost the hero of that match as DJ (Dudley) Campbell, scorer of both goals, has since moved to Birmingham.

In the fourth round, the Valiants were involved in another capital affair, beating Leyton Orient 2-1 at home.

On the other two occasions the sides met, Charlton were the winners. Just after the war (1945-46) when the competition's early rounds were played over two legs, Charlton eliminated Brentford 9-4 on aggregate.

Essex side Colchester, having ousted two Championship teams in round three and four - Derby at home and Sheffield United away - face Premiership leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.

This match, described as Colchester's biggest in 69 years of existence, will surely boost the club's coffers. They run the lowest wage bill in the division. A share of the gate and television revenue will amount to near £750,000 for the Terriers of Layer Road. Colchester are enjoying their best ever League campaign and have won 20 out of their last 25 games, including a sequence of ten straight victories.

Manager Phil Parkinson is indebted to youth team coach Joe Dunne. He has produced no fewer than ten players of the senior squad.

Colchester are bound to move to a new, council-owned community stadium on the outskirts of the town by the start of season 2007-08.

After their blip against Boro, Chelsea are still the favourites to clinch a domestic double of championship and FA Cup.

Top dogs' duels

From the three all-Premiership encounters this weekend, the Lancashire derby will surely steal the thunder. The ties along with their respective outcomes in the Premiership this season read:

Liverpool vs Man. United: 0-0 (Anfield); 0-1 (Old Trafford: Ferdinand).

Since that upset at United's lair, the 'Pool went on for three more league games without a win and claimed all the points at Wigan last Saturday. They continued with their good work on Tuesday night, defeating Arsenal 1-0 at home.

That was the Reds' 44th game of the season.

The Red Devils are now separated from leaders Chelsea by 12 points and although it is still a very wide gap to close, United will not be involved in the Champions League as Chelsea, who have to face Barcelona on two legs in the next round (first leg at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday).

Results of past FA Cup clashes speak volumes in favour of United, having won eight of the ten meetings:

The sides have also met in the third round of the League Cup with the Wanderers winning 1-0 (Borgetti) at the Reebok Stadium.

Wembley's earliest FA Cup final had featured these teams. In 1923, the Wanderers finished victorious 2-0 (David Jack the first scorer at the temple) in that immortal final when crowds spilled on to the pitch and were kept back by the famous policeman on a white horse.

Aston Villa vs Man. City: 1-3 (City of Manchester Stadium: Ridgewell - Vassell 2, Cole).

In the last decade Villa featured in the 2000 final, going down to Chelsea. Yet in the last six years this is the first time that the Midlanders have gone past the first hurdle of the competition.

The remaining two ties feature Newcastle at home to Southampton and Stoke City against Birmingham at the Britannia Stadium.

Since Graeme Souness left Newcastle, the team won two matches on the trot with Glenn Roeder at the helm, assisted by Alan Shearer.

These things almost happen every time a manager is changed and the duo can lead Newcastle to the last eight.

Newcastle's big army of fans have high hopes of their favourites going a place better than last term when they were eliminated in the semis.

Birmingham are perhaps more concerned about their relegation plight, but another FA Cup win can give them the confidence needed for matches to come.

Stoke have equalled their performances of 2003 when they reached round five and were eliminated by Chelsea 2-0 at home. In that year, Newcastle opponents Southampton made it to the final and lost to Arsenal 0-1.