The glamour tie of the FA Cup Third Round is ARSENAL against MANCHESTER UNITED on Sunday, but this stage is all about the clubs who tend to get less ink.
The beauty of the world’s oldest cup competition is that it offers TAMWORTH FOOTBALL CLUB from the National League, England’s fifth tier, the chance to host TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR of the Premier League at their 4,000-capacity stadium, The Lamb Ground. That’s the first match we’ve chosen to highlight from this weekend’s fixtures with the help of Jonathan Day, host of The Tamworth F.C. Social.
Then we move to MILLWALL, the club from South East London that for all their famous depictions in film and TV have rarely featured in England’s top division. They don’t look like winning promotion from the Championship this year, either—they’re 14th—but what would an FA Cup run mean to the Lions? Omer Ronayne of That Millwall Podcast joins to offer a view into second-tier life, and to preview their tie with fellow Londoners DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE on Monday:
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Soon enough, we’ll know who might be this season’s Maidstone United, who made it to the Fifth Round in 2024 as a sixth-tier outfit. That’s where the Stones were beaten by Coventry City, who came within an inch of defeating Manchester United at Wembley in the semifinal. In fact, I’m still not entirely convinced that Haji Wright was offside…..
MORE FA CUP
LIVERPOOL vs ACCRINGTON STANLEY
Sat @ 7:15am ET, 12:15pm UK
This is a tale of two cities. Liverpool are top of the Premier League and cruising, despite the near-defeat to Manchester United last time out. Accrington Stanley are 19th in League Two, just a point clear of the relegation zone. They’ll be firmly focused on keeping their place in the Football League this season, and they can’t possibly expect to secure a ticket to the Fourth Round, but they’ll relish the trip to Anfield and might just play with some freedom.
LEEDS UNITED vs HARROGATE TOWN
Sat @ 12:45pm ET, 5:45pm UK
The beauty of the FA Cup is that it can throw together two teams who’ve never met, even if they’re neighbors. Leeds are the power of Yorkshire, while Harrogate—both the actual town and the club—have always been overshadowed by the giants next door.
They haven’t had much occasion to cross paths until now because Harrogate have mostly been plumbing the depths of the Football League and have only qualified for the Third Round once before. But strangely, the BBC reports, Leeds have lost four of their last five FA Cup ties against League Two opposition. Could this be a Yorkshire special?
MAN CITY vs SALFORD CITY
Sat @ 12:45pm ET, 5:45pm UK
Kicking off at the same time is a Greater Manchester derby. It’s a 13-minute drive from Salford’s Moor Lane to the Etihad, though these two clubs are a world apart. The Sky Blues seem to be bouncing back from their dismal run of one win in 13, but the fact is they’ve been the best team in Europe for most of the last decade. Salford were in the Northern Premier League until 2014, when new ownership arrived in the form of Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim and Manchester United’s Class of ‘92: Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, and (later) David Beckham.
Now the Ammies have risen to League Two and have rattled off six wins in a row—including over Harrogate and Accrington Stanley—but this would be a sweet scalp for any number of reasons.
ARSENAL vs MANCHESTER UNITED
Sun @ 10am ET, 3pm UK
This is the glamour fixture of the FA Cup Third Round, pitting the most successful club in this competition’s history—the hosts—against the #2s. United won their 13th FA Cup in May and secured Erik ten Hag an ultimately counterproductive stay of execution.
His successor, Ruben Amorim, might see opportunity in this competition like Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did in his first season, when a poor Gunners side snatched their 14th title against the odds. Arteta is in need of a tonic, too, though. A miserable night against Newcastle in the League Cup on Tuesday has sent the North Londoners into a tailspin.
MORE MATCHES
BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Fri @ 2:30pm ET, 7:30pm UK
It’s been a poor season domestically for the home side so far, but Dortmund are still two points off the Top Four and are unbeaten in their last four Bundesliga matches. Bayer Leverkusen are the form team in the division, however, taking all 15 points from their last five games. They need to keep that same energy to catch Bayern Munich, currently four points clear at the top of the league.
TORINO vs JUVENTUS
Sat @ 12pm ET, 5pm UK
It’s the Derby della Mole, named for the Mole Antonelliana, an architectural landmark in the heart of Turin. This one started out as an intracity class dispute, with Juve for the rich kids and Torino for the working classes, but those battle lines—like with most derbies across the world—have mostly broken down.
So, to some extent, has the competitiveness of this fixture: the Old Lady has lost just one of the last 37 meetings with the Bull, but a derby is a derby. Crackling atmosphere and all that.
BARCELONA vs REAL MADRID
Sun @ 2pm ET, 7pm UK
It’s the final of the Supercopa de España, and it’s a Clásico. If you’re into these supercups played in the Gulf so the football associations back home can rake in some cash, this one’s for you. Barça battered the old enemy 4-0 back in November, of course, but Los Blancos are now unbeaten since December 4 across all competitions. They’ve also stolen a march on Barcelona in La Liga, where the Catalans are without a win since December 3, but that’s a story for another day.
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READS
⚽︎ The Athletic’s Jack Lang has a dive into the first Club World Cup in Rio de Janeiro 25 years ago, where a star-studded Manchester United lost to Vasco da Gama in the final. TFW’s got a fun partner post on Instagram this week along the same lines.
⚽︎ With Sean Dyche’s dismissal, Everton are at a major crossroads and are looking at bringing back David Moyes. Jonathan Wilson digs into it all for The Guardian.
⚽︎ Speaking of Everton, and financial problems, which clubs are restricted by Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) in the January transfer window? The Swiss Ramble has answers.
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GEAR
👕 Those top-shelf Adidas warmups that Germany took to EURO 2024 are on sale at Classic Football Shirts.
👕 FA Cup partners Mitre have created a special golden ball for the title-holders to play with, which means Manchester United will bring it to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. £125 is pretty steep, but it’s fun to look at!⚽︎