One of English football’s most famous competitions heats up as Premier League teams enter the FA Cup third round which begins on Thursday. In the 144th edition of the tournament, Manchester United will try to retain their league title, but with a difficult first round against Arsenal, it will be a challenge. What differs from previous editions is that the replays have disappeared. Previously, if a match ended in a draw, a rematch took place at the opposing team’s stadium, followed by overtime and penalties if necessary. Now, with increasing pressure on the fixture schedule, they have been removed in the first round.
If a match ends in a draw, there will now be two overtime periods followed by penalties to determine who advances to the next round.
FA Cup fixtures and scores
All Eastern times and all games available on ESPN+
Thursday January 9
Sheffield United 0, Cardiff City 1
Fulham 4, Watford 1
Everton 2, Peterborough 0
Friday January 10
Wycombe v Portsmouth, 2.45pm
Aston Villa v West Ham United, 3 p.m.
Saturday January 11
Bristol City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, 7am
Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers, 7 a.m.
Birmingham City v Lincoln City, 7am
Liverpool v Accrington Stanley, 7.15am
Leicester City v QPR, 9am
Nottingham Forest v Luton Town, 10:00
Brentford v Plymouth Argyle, 10 a.m.
Chelsea v Morecambe, 10am
Bournemouth v West Brom, 10am
Norwich City v Brighton, 10am
Preston North End v Charlton, 10 a.m.
Reading v Burnley, 10am
Exeter City v Oxford United, 10:00
Sunderland v Stoke City, 10am
Leeds United v Harrogate Town, 12:45 p.m.
Manchester City v Salford City, 12:45 p.m.
Leyton Orient v Derby County, 1 p.m.
Coventry City v Sheffield Wednesday, 1 p.m.
Mansfield Town v Wigan Athletic, 1 p.m.
Sunday January 12
Hull City v Doncaster Rovers, 7 a.m.
Tamworth v Tottenham, 7.30am
Newcastle United v Bromley, 10am
Ipswich Town v Bristol Rovers, 10am
Arsenal v Manchester United, 10 a.m.
Crystal Palace v Stockport untied, 10am
Southampton v Swansea, 11:30 a.m.
Monday January 13
Millwall v Dagenham & Redbridge, 2:30 p.m.
Beginnings as a manager
When West Ham United take the field against Aston Villa, things will be a little different with Graham Potter taking the reins following the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui. Usually Premier League teams prefer to face each other later in the competition, but for Potter, this is a great opportunity to test his players against top opposition with minimal consequences. As much as the Hammers would love to win this game, it’s better to lose in the cup than lose more points in the Premier League. Facing a top team like Aston Villa, there is no better challenge to kick off.
An upset watch?
Looking for the biggest match of the tour. it’s probably Arsenal against Manchester United. Having already lost to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup and directed some of their poor results to a “delicate” ballthe Gunners will play with yet another single ball against the Red Devils. Miter has created a balloon to celebrate United’s victory in the last edition of the tournament which will be used for this match. With United needing a win, they will be hoping Arsenal’s finishing is not up to the task of springing an upset.
It’s time to get back on track
With Liverpool and Chelsea both going through small struggles during their impressive seasons. But in the FA Cup, they will face Accrington Stanley and Morecambe respectively. There are matches where they will likely alternate and play younger players on the team, but these are still moments that can help build momentum. Liverpool have now failed to collect maximum points in two consecutive matches, which for most teams would not be a crisis, but with the Reds having gone 24 matches without losing, the victories were expected. For Chelsea, things are a little more worrying, failing to win four games in a row and losing two. Being able to change this form will be key to staying in the title race.
