The
Premier League big guns join England’s oldest club competition this weekend as the FA Cup throws up some monster clashes from the odd ‘David v Goliath’ affair as well as a couple of fiercely contested local derbies too.
Selected FA Cup 3rd Round fixtures:
Friday, January 5th
Liverpool vs Everton
Man United vs Derby
Saturday, January 6th
Fleetwood vs Leicester
Middlesbrough vs Sunderland
Birmingham vs Burton
Man City vs Burnley
Wolves vs Swansea
Sunday, January 7th
Shrewsbury vs West Ham
Tottenham vs Wimbledon
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
Monday, January 8th
Brighton vs Crystal Palace
Liverpool vs Everton
Right off the back, Anfield will host, undeniably, the standout tie of the third round - the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, on Friday night. The Toffees are winless from their last 15 attempts against the Reds, since Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta netted in a 2-0 win for Everton at Goodison Park in October 2010, including defeat in the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 2012 when Andy Carroll scored a spectacular 87
th minute winner at Wembley. Everton’s last win at the home of the greatest rivals came way back in September 1999 in the league and they will certainly have their work cut out for them again this weekend. Liverpool dominated the game when they met at Anfield earlier in the season. Mo Salah opened the scoring before Wayne Rooney snatched an unlikely point from the penalty spot late in the second half.
Manchester United vs Derby County
The Red Devils ended a four-game winless run when they beat Everton 2-0 in the Premier League at the weekend to re-claim second spot from defending champions Chelsea heading into their FA Cup third round tie against the side who currently sit second in the Championship, Derby County. The sides faced each other in the fourth round at Pride Park in 2016 when Louis Van Gaal’s men came away 3-1 winners on the night on route to lifting the trophy in May for the first time in 11 years. Rams fans will fondly remember when Malcolm Christie scored the only goal of the game at Old Trafford in May 2001 which helped secure their top-flight status for another season and relegate United’s neighbours Manchester City down to the Championship.
.jpg.aspx "Untitled-7-(1).jpg")
Fleetwood Town vs Leicester City
Jamie Vardy scored 34 goals in just 42 games in a single season in for then-Conference side Fleetwood Town (31 goals in 36 league games) including three goals in six appearances in the FA Cup. Leicester City then snapped him up in 2012 and after initially struggling for goals in each of his first season’s the Championship and Premier League respectively (4 goals in 26 league games in the Championship in 2012/13; 5 goals in 34 league games in the Premier League in 2014/15), he really endured himself to the Foxes faithful by scoring 24 goals in Leicester City’s remarkable title triumph in 2015/16 before going on to score his 50
th Premier League goal this season. This will be the first meeting between Fleetwood and Leicester and a return to Highbury Stadium for one of their former favourites.
Middlesbrough vs Sunderland
The small matter of the Tees-Wear Derby takes centre stage on Saturday as the pair of relegated Premier League sides from last season lock horns once again. Boro have won four-in-a-row against the Black Cats across three competitions in the last five years since Sunderland’s last victory over Middlesbrough in February 2012 - the last time the sides met in the FA Cup. Sunderland are rock-bottom in England’s second division and are in real danger of dropping further down the footballing ladder in 2017/18 but could use the FA Cup as a source of some jubilation in a season that has so far provided nothing but sheer disaster and desperation.
Birmingham City vs Burton Albion
Steve Cotterill made 74 league appearances as a player for Burton Albion between 1987 and 1989, the longest spell in terms of games played at a single club in his short ten-year playing career. He made a losing return to the Pirelli Stadium as manager of Birmingham City in August last year when Marvin Sordell’s and Lloyd Dyer’s second-half strikes sealed the win for the home side after Jacques Maghoma had put the visitors in front in the first-half. Albion have won all three of their fixtures against Birmingham City since winning promotion to the Championship in 2016, scoring six goals and conceding just once in three fixtures against them.
Wolves vs Swansea
Technically just one place separates Swansea City, who are bottom of the Premier League, from Wolverhampton Wanderers who are currently 12 points clear at the summit of the Championship, but their worlds could not be further apart. The Swans have won four league games all season. Since the start of the 2017/18 campaign Wolves have LOST just three times. Swansea ended a four-game winless run by beating Watford in Carlos Carvahal’s first game in charge of the club. The pair traded blows in the Premier League in 2012, playing out thrilling 2-2 and 4-4 draws in the process. Wolves’ last win over Swansea came in the Championship in October 2008, just three weeks after Swansea’s last win over Wolves.