The road to FA Cup glory is never smooth, a point hammered home by a captivating third-round draw that pits titans against each other and offers the tantalizing prospect of heavyweight casualties. Holders Manchester United, still basking in the afterglow of last season’s triumph, face a thorny trip to 14-time winners Arsenal in the pick of the ties.
It’s a renewal of a final from yesteryear, 2005 to be precise, and a contest rich in cup pedigree. United’s defence of the trophy begins in earnest and they can ill-afford to take the challenge lightly against an Arsenal side with designs on ending their 20-year wait to lift the famous silverware again.
Merseyside Giants Handed Contrasting Assignments
Liverpool supporters of a certain vintage will permit themselves a wry smile at the sight of a trip to Accrington on their third-round itinerary. It conjures grainy images of a celebrated 1980s Milk Marketing Board advert, in which two young Scousers discuss career prospects and the ramifications of shunning a calcium-rich diet.
If I don’t drink lots of milk, I’ll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley.
While the quip raised Accrington’s profile, Liverpool will be deeply wary of an upset at the League Two outfit. Jürgen Klopp’s side are chasing an unprecedented quadruple and the FA Cup figures prominently in those plans. Expect a strong XI to be deployed to squash any chance of a giant-killing.
Salford City Relishing Shot at Manchester Aristocrats
Pep Guardiola has grown accustomed to jousting with the cream of Europe but a short hop to Salford City is a different proposition entirely for his star-studded Manchester City ensemble. The Ammies, part-owned by Manchester United luminaries from the fabled Class of ’92, have made giant strides since their takeover in 2014 and now compete in League Two.
City’s recent form has given rivals a glimmer of hope that the Premier League champions’ air of invincibility is not impenetrable. Salford will draw inspiration from their owners’ exploits in their own quests for cup magnificence and dream of a seismic upset against their swaggering neighbours.
Tamworth Dreaming of Spurs Scalp
Among the fascinating subplots in this season’s third round is the tale of Tamworth. The Lambs, plying their trade in the sixth tier of English football, dumped out League One Burton Albion to tee up a glamour tie against regal opposition in Tottenham Hotspur.
On a weekend synonymous with shocks, Tamworth manager Andy Peaks is daring to dream of claiming the most famous result in the club’s history. Spurs boss Antonio Conte may shuffle his pack with one eye on Premier League matters but the magic of the cup tends to serve as a great leveller.
As a cavalcade of Premier League stars prepare to enter the fray and navigate banana skins strewn across their path, one certainty is that the FA Cup third round will deliver its usual cocktail of drama, romance and heartache. It’s a stage of the competition that resonates through the ages, with heroes and villains crafted in the white heat of an English football winter.
