Salford’s trip to the Etihad in this competition last season saw them give it a good go, firing off ten efforts at goal, and so it makes sense to target one of their attacking players. Kelly N’Mai is averaging two shots per 90 in league action for the visitors and has only failed to land this bet in one of his 17 starts.

The winger is one of The Ammies' best attacking outlets, and cutting in from the left onto his stronger right foot means he’s always likely to pull the trigger.

Karl Robinson’s men can take further encouragement from the fact that this City side look far less solid than last season and have given up 7.79 shots at home across all competitions.

The hosts may have racked up a 10-1 scoreline in the last round against League One Exeter, but still conceded seven shots despite the Grecians having just 18% possession, and so all signs point towards Salford and N’Mai getting opportunities.

Centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been prolific in the opposition box this season in terms of shots, averaging bang on one shot per 90 in Championship action. He’s been particularly shot-heavy at home, where he’s taken 11 in his last eight starts, including against Leicester, where he netted twice back in November.

These sides met in midweek and played out a seven-goal thriller, another game where Harwood-Bellis got on the end of a set piece and where defensive partner Jack Stephens also netted from a corner. 

The Foxes travel to St Mary’s with far bigger concerns than the FA Cup, as a points deduction has left them above the Championship drop zone on goal difference alone, and so they may well rest players for this game.

In any case, the visitors have given up the fifth most set-piece shots in the second tier this season at 4.66 per game, and so the aerially dominant Harwood-Bellis will fancy his chances again.

Aston Villa’s Matty Cash is another player who’s been busy in the attacking third this season, taking aim 1.14 times per 90 in games at Villa Park.

The full back has always had a reputation for his work in forward areas and seems to have been given licence to shoot on sight, given that 67% of his efforts have come from outside the box. He landed this bet against Newcastle just a few weeks ago, and with six shots in his last two starts, he appears to be hungry for more.

Newcastle’s away form has been a big concern all season, and having conceded 13.39 shots per game on the road across all competitions, it’s easy to see why. Villa carved them open at will on their own patch in January, taking 15 shots, and when the last seven right backs to face the Magpies have combined for six shots, there’s every reason to believe that Cash will get more joy against them.

At the other end of the pitch, Sandro Tonali has increased his attacking output in recent weeks, trying his luck 17 times across his last nine domestic starts, cashing this bet in all of those. The Italian midfielder had three shots in the aforementioned previous meeting between these sides and averages 1.42 shots per 90 in head-to-heads with the Villans.

Unai Emery’s Villa side have been beaten in both of their last two games at Villa Park and are conceding 11 shots per game on home soil across domestic competitions. Although they had a man sent off, they allowed Newcastle 16 efforts at goal on the opening day of the Premier League season, and so we could see an end-to-end affair where Tonali is likely to get involved.

Another all-Premier League affair concludes Saturday’s action as Liverpool entertain Brighton, and with the hosts six points adrift of the top five, their priorities may lie elsewhere.

Arne Slot’s stuttering Champions are struggling to keep their opponents out at Anfield this season, and in the league meeting shipped 14 shots against the Seagulls, so we can expect the visitors to attack.

Fabian Hurzeler is known for rotating his Brighton squad, but having started in 21 consecutive league games, Ferdi Kadioglu looks a safe bet to be in the starting line-up. The utility player is not only a consistent starter but also a regular source of shots with an average of 0.69 per 90 across the season.

The Turkish full-back landed this bet in his last visit to Merseyside and hopefully has got the taste for goalmouth action.