LONDON: Manchester United will start their FA Cup title defense with a trip to Arsenal in a third-round draw containing a host of intriguing English Premier League vs. lower league matchups.
Among the best were Tamworth, one of only two non-league clubs in the draw, getting to host Tottenham and Manchester City at home to Salford City — the team owned by members of Man United’s famed “Class of 92” such as Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.
Accrington Stanley, in sixth-to-last place in fourth-tier League Two, face a daunting trip to Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield. Chelsea, meanwhile, will host Morecambe, which are bottom of League Two.
The standout match features the competition’s two most successful teams, with Arsenal having won the trophy 14 times compared to United’s 13. Arsenal last lifted it in 2020 while United beat City in a second straight Manchester derby in the FA Cup final last season.
The third round will take place around the weekend of Jan. 11-12 and sees the 44 clubs from the Premier League and second-tier Championship enter the competition, joining the 20 lower-league and non-league sides who won in the previous round.
Draw:
Southampton vs. Swansea
Arsenal vs. Manchester United
Exeter vs. Oxford United
Leyton Orient vs. Derby County
Reading vs. Burnley
Aston Villa vs. West Ham
Norwich vs. Brighton
Manchester City vs. Salford
Millwall vs. Dagenham & Redbridge
Liverpool vs. Accrington Stanley
Bristol City vs. Wolverhampton
Preston vs. Charlton
Chelsea vs. Morecambe
Middlesbrough vs. Blackburn
Bournemouth vs. West Bromwich Albion
Mansfield vs. Wigan
Tamworth vs. Tottenham
Hull vs. Doncaster
Sunderland vs. Stoke
Leicester vs. Queens Park Rangers
Brentford vs. Plymouth
Coventry vs. Sheffield Wednesday
Newcastle vs. Bromley
Everton vs. Peterborough
Wycombe vs. Portsmouth
Birmingham vs. Lincoln
Leeds vs. Harrogate
Nottingham Forest vs. Luton
Sheffield United vs. Cardiff
Ipswich vs. Bristol Rovers
Fulham vs. Watford
Crystal Palace vs. Stockport
