The draw for the third round of the FA Cup was held before today’s Premier League games, which is always exciting, and Tottenham Hotspur have a decently favorable draw for Ange Postecoglou’s first major English cup run. Spurs were drawn home to Burnley, with the match taking place on January 6.
In the early rounds of the domestic cups you often want to see the David vs. Goliath matchups — remember when Spurs were drawn against Level 8 Marine a few years ago? You usually don’t want to draw another Premier League opponent. But this draw isn’t so bad, all things considered. Spurs have already played away to Burnley in the league this season and smashed them 5-2. This is a cup tie at home against a newly promoted team that hasn’t proven to have a lot of juice thus far, so… pretty good! I’ll take it!
Plus, the disadvantage of drawing a lower-ranked team is that those games immediately get spun as narrative banana peels. That said, I kinda love those away trips to small stadiums, just for the spectacle of the thing. Maybe we’ll get a minnow next round (and there WILL be a next round).
The biggest draw of the round was Arsenal vs. Liverpool which is just [chef’s kiss]. Here’s the draw in full.
- Luton Town vs. Bolton Wanderers
- Shrewsbury Town vs. Wrexham/Yeovil Town
- Arsenal vs. Liverpool
- Stoke City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- Norwich City vs. Crewe Alexandra/Bristol Rovers
- West Ham United vs. Bristol City
- Tottenham Hotspur vs. Burnley
- Fulham vs. Rotherham United
- West Bromwich Albion vs. Aldershot Town/Stockport County
- Southampton vs. Alfreton Town/Walsall
- AFC Wimbledon/Ramsgate vs. Ipswich Town
- Peterborough United vs. Leeds United
- Millwall vs. Leicester City
- Watford vs. Chesterfield/Leyton Orient
- Sunderland vs. Newcastle United
- Sheffield Wednesday vs. Cardiff City
- Crystal Palace vs. Everton
- Middlesbrough vs. Aston Villa
- Nottingham Forest vs. Blackpool/Forest Green Rovers
- Wigan Athletic vs. Manchester United
- Manchester City vs. Huddersfield Town
- Blackburn Rovers vs. Cambridge United
- Gillingham vs. Sheffield United
- Swansea City vs. Morecambe
- Chelsea vs. Preston North End
- Queens Park Rangers vs. Bournemouth
- Coventry City vs. Oxford United
- Brentford vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Plymouth Argyle vs. Sutton United
- Maidstone United vs. Stevenage/Port Vale
- Newport County/Barnet vs. Eastleigh/Reading
- Hull City vs. Birmingham City