Sunday Open Thread: Big Sam the Savior Edition

Everyone's focus will rightly be placed on the FA Cup semifinal, but there's some befores and afters to pay attention to with a decent amount of interest as well. Before--and for a little bit after kickoff, probably--West Ham will be squaring off against Manchester City at the Etihad, where they can compound Manuel Pellegrini's misery and do Liverpool a favor in the race for the top four (1:30PM BST/8:30AM EST). An hour after Liverpool get going, Spurs head to Newcastle in the Premier League's other fixture on the day (4:00PM BST/11:00AM EST). The big story for Liverpool loanees is the meeting in France between Divock Origi's Lille and Tiago Ilori's Bordeaux, with both carrying a good chance of starting in a match that will finish just things kick off at Wembley (1:00PM BST/8:00AM EST).

For a full rundown of the day's games and viewing options visit LiveSoccerTV, and as a reminder, archived open threads can be found in the Sections menu at the top of every page.