FA Cup third round draw: Arsenal land blockbuster tie against Man United

They will each have been hoping for a more favourable draw, but will now go head-to-head in a battle of the two most successful FA Cup teams of all time.

United took their tally to 13 successes by defeating Manchester City in last year’s final and they will be eager to make another deep run this time around.

However, the Gunners will be the bookmakers’ favourites and dominate the sports betting odds to progress to round four having been handed home advantage in the draw.

Former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson will have had a keen eye on proceedings and may view the tie as an opportunity to take on the bookies.

Ferguson’s interest will likely be piqued given the bookies will offer generous odds on United winning the tie.

Current boss Ruben Amorim will undoubtedly fancy his team’s chances of upsetting the odds having improved their fortunes since he replaced Erik ten Hag.

Arsenal were knocked out by Liverpool in the third round last season and it would be foolish to underestimate United’s chances of repeating the trick.

Read on as we look at the full draw for the third round of the 2024/25 FA Cup, before picking out some of the other most intriguing ties.

FA Cup third round draw

· Southampton vs Swansea City
· Arsenal vs Manchester United
· Exeter City vs Oxford United
· Leyton Orient vs Derby County
· Reading vs Burnley
· Aston Villa vs West Ham United
· Norwich City vs Brighton & Hove Albion
· Manchester City vs Salford City
· Millwall vs Dagenham & Redbridge
· Liverpool vs Accrington Stanley
· Bristol City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
· Preston North End vs Charlton Athletic
· Chelsea vs Morecambe
· Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers
· Bournemouth vs West Bromwich Albion
· Mansfield Town vs Wigan Athletic
· Tamworth vs Tottenham Hotspur
· Hull City vs Doncaster Rovers
· Sunderland vs Stoke City
· Leicester City vs Queens Park Rangers
· Brentford vs Plymouth Argyle
· Coventry City vs Sheffield Wednesday
· Newcastle United vs Bromley
· Everton vs Peterborough United
· Wycombe Wanderers vs Portsmouth
· Birmingham City vs Lincoln City
· Leeds United vs Harrogate Town
· Nottingham Forest vs Luton Town
· Sheffield United vs Cardiff City
· Ipswich Town vs Bristol Rovers
· Fulham vs Watford
· Crystal Palace vs Stockport County

The ties are scheduled to be played from Friday, January 10, to Monday, January 13.

Minnows handed exciting third round ties

Several lower league clubs have been handed lucrative ties against Premier League big hitters in the third round of the FA Cup.

They include Salford City, who will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City. Salford captain Curtis Tilt was in the BBC studio when the draw was made.

“I am absolutely delighted - I could not ask for anything better really,” he told former Man United striker Dion Dublin.

“We wanted United for the owners of our club, but we will take Manchester City. We will go there and see if we can cause an upset.”

Accrington Stanley, Morecambe, Bromley and Harrogate Town are other League Two clubs who have landed eye-catching ties in the draw.

Stanley will visit Liverpool, Morecambe head south to face Chelsea, Bromley travel to Newcastle United and Harrogate make the short trip to Leeds United.

The last-named tie has the potential to be a banana skin for the Championship club, whose recent record in cup competitions leaves a lot to be desired.

With just 16 miles separating the two clubs, Harrogate fans will be clamouring to secure tickets for what promises to be a special day for the League Two outfit.

“It’s an amazing draw for us,” manager Simon Weaver said. “We won’t need an overnight stop, which will please the boys. It will be a special experience.

“Just getting on the coach, making that short journey to a magnificent stadium in Elland Road with all that rich history. It’ll be a very memorable day for the club.”

National League side Dagenham & Redbridge’s reward for upsetting the odds at AFC Wimbledon in round two is a blockbuster clash with Millwall at the New Den. However, their tie is overshadowed a little by fellow non-league outfit Tamworth, who have been drawn at home to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur.

Tamworth fans had been hoping to draw a big club away from home to ensure the club could cash in, but they will now have the chance to see Spurs strut their stuff at the Lamb Ground.

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