FA Cup Third Round - Football (Soccer) News And Picks

FA Cup Third Round
By Tim Robertsoni
Posted: 11:00 am PDT 2007-01-04

This weekend the Premier League takes a back seat in England for the fans' favourite date on the season calendar -- the FA Cup Third Round.

This is when the big boys -- clubs from the Premiership and Championship -- enter the tournament and find themselves matched up with the minnows from far down the football pyramid.

There are only two non-league teams still in it this year -- Aldershot and Tamworth of the Conference -- and neither has landed top-flight opposition, although Tamworth will welcome Championship side Norwich to The Lamb in the sort of fixture which Third Round day is all about.

WagerWeb.com is offering the Canaries at -175, but teams from the top two divisions always find it tougher than they should going to play at non-league grounds.

But while there are few non-league teams in action this weekend, there could still be plenty of "giant-killings." Several Premiership clubs face trips to Championship clubs, and these are the most intriguing fixtures on the list.

Newcastle, recovering in the league as they continue to struggle with a crippling injury list, must go to Championship leaders Birmingham City; relegation-battlers Middlesbrough are at Hull City; Fulham must go to Leicester; Tottenham travel to stuttering Cardiff; and Manchester City are at in-form Sheffield Wednesday.

Newcastle's is the toughest tie. Birmingham have lost only one of 13 league games this season in establishing a three-point lead at the top of the table. With Matthew Upson and David Dunn back from injury, they have Premiership-calibre players in their team.

Newcastle lost here in Cup meetings in both 1999-2000 and 2000-01, and must avoid a third loss without several players.

The midfield is depleted with Scott Parker suspended, and Emre, Nicky Butt, Damien Duff and Charles N'Zogbia all injured.

"It is almost at the stage where we will be saying, 'Will the last man standing please turn out the lights' - and it looks as through the way things are going, that man could be me," Magpies boss Glenn Roeder joked.

Whether he is still laughing on Saturday evening is another question. WagerWeb.com cannot split the two teams - offering both at +150 - but it's tempting to back Birmingham on their home patch.

Another eye-catching fixture is an all-Premiership affair as Cup-holders Liverpool host Arsenal. These two will be getting to know each other all too well as they also face each other in the League Cup quarterfinal - a fixture which was postponed in December due to heavy fog so will now be played next Tuesday

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard has set his sights on a retaining the trophy Liverpool won in Cardiff last season, but as fixtures go, there are few tougher ways of opening a defence than this.

He said: "I know Liverpool have never won the FA Cup two years in a row, but this team likes breaking records and rewriting history, and this is another statistic we want to put right. We all remember how we won the competition last season, and we are keen to do it again.

"I would love nothing better than to lift the trophy again at the new Wembley at the end of the season. The draw could have been kinder, but the important thing is we are at home. They will be fearing the tie more than we will."

Wagerweb has Liverpool at +120 while Arsenal are +187, but given Liverpool's home record when matched against the Gunners' away form, it is difficult not to fancy the Anfield club in this one.

Another all-Premiership clash sees leaders Manchester United host Aston Villa - a team they beat 3-0 away from home in the days before Christmas. The recent form of both teams suggests a repeat could be on the cards, but then what is FA Cup Third Round day about if not upsetting the form?

Villa have received confirmation that on-loan goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly can continue in goal as Thomas Sorensen and Stuart Taylor remain out with injury

Even so, United are overwhelming favourites at -800 on WagerWeb.com, and Villa would do well to even earn a replay.

Second-placed Chelsea have been struggling in the league of late - having now drawn three straight games to lose ground on United - but they will expect to have an easier time of it on Saturday as League Two outfit Macclesfield visit Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are -3333 on WagerWeb.com to win this one - Macclesfield +5000 to claim the unlikeliest of wins.

But then, football is played on the pitch and not on paper, and this is FA Cup Third Round day. Just how powerful is the magic of the Cup?

It's what the first weekend of January is all about.

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