FA CUP HEAT: ARSENAL VS MANCHESTER UNITED

The FA Cup is back in January and just few days ago– Monday night– the draws for the third round was concluded.

In the previous rounds lower and non-leagues teams have been slugging it out till 20 made it through last weekend's second round ties. Now the bigger boys come into it in the third round, so we have 44 clubs joining in from both the Premier League and the Championship.

Premier League leaders Liverpool will host League Two's Accrington Stanley, while Manchester City will host a kind of Manchester United– Salford City, a team owned by the fanous "Class of 92".
Salford City's owners include former Manchester United players Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and David Beckham.

Big Match

Then the big match itself– the FA Cup holders Manchester United have been drawn to play against record FA Cup winners– Arsenal. There were audible groans from the watching supporters inside Old Trafford, as this match was confirmed. It's an away match for the defending champions against 14-time winners, Arsenal. Manchester United is next having won it 13 times after that victory against rivals Manchester City in May.

Others

Then, it's a match between the "Ts". Great effort by a non-league club,
Tamworth(one of only two non-league clubs remaining in the competition) will be at home to entertain Tottenham. Infact Tamworth are the lowest ranked team remaining in this competition.

While fellow non-league(National League)side Dagenham & Redbridge will play Championship side, Millwall.

An interesting epoisode is that Everton full-back Ashley Young, 39, could face his 18-year-old son Tyler after the Tofeees were drawn to face Peterborough at home.
"Wow...dreams might come true," posted former England international, Ashley Young on X.

Elsewhere, Chelsea host League Two's bottom club Morecambe, and fellow League Two strugglers, Bromley, travel to face Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Cheers