The end of the winter holidays in England means that the teams from the Premier League enter the FA Cup. This weekend's slate of third round games features five games between two top flight teams but none are bigger than Saturday's main event between Arsenal and Tottenham.
2014 FA Cup, 3rd round: Three non-league sides go for upsets and a North London Derby
The Premier League teams enter the FA Cup in the third round and provide one massive derby match right from the start.
The North London Derby is always a spirited affair and while it remains to be seen what type of lineups the two head coaches will out out for the match, it still should be fun for spectators..at least the neutrals.
While that match between Arsenal and Spurs will likely dominate the headlines, there are plenty of other games on the slate and some opportunities for lower division clubs to pull off one of those classic ‘cupsets’ we love so much.
Three non-league sides have progressed to the third round and a win by any of them would be a great story, unless you’re a fan of the team they defeat. Two Conference National sides will attempt to advance to the fourth round as Grimsby faces Huddersfield Town and Kidderminster meets Peterborough United. Conference Premier side Macclesfield plays Sheffield Wednesday.
Wigan Athletic, the current holders of the FA Cup begin their title defense with a home match against MK Dons. The head coach that helped lead them to cup glory last season though will be busy with his new team as Roberto Martinez leads Everton against QPR.
Here’s the complete schedule for this weekend’s third round games. All times listed are ET.
Saturday, January 4th
Blackburn Rovers Manchester City | 7:45 a.m.
Crawley Town vs. Bristol Rovers | 10:00 a.m.
AFC Bournemouth vs. Burton Albion | 10:00 a.m.
Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United | 10:00 a.m.
Barnsley vs. Coventry City | 10:00 a.m.
Bolton Wanderers vs. Blackpool | 10:00 a.m.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Reading | 10:00 a.m.
Bristol City vs. Watford | 10:00 a.m.
Charlton Athletic vs. Oxford United | 10:00 a.m.
Doncaster Rovers vs. Stevenage | 10:00 a.m.
Everton vs. Queens Park Rangers | 10:00 a.m.
Grimsby Town vs. Huddersfield Town | 10:00 a.m.
Ipswich Town vs. Preston North End | 10:00 a.m.
Kidderminster Harriers vs. Peterborough United | 10:00 a.m.
Macclesfield Town vs. Sheffield Wednesday | 10:00 a.m.
Middlesbrough vs. Hull City | 10:00 a.m.
Newcastle United vs. Cardiff City | 10:00 a.m.
Norwich City vs. Fulham | 10:00 a.m.
Rochdale vs. Leeds United | 10:00 a.m.
Southampton vs. Burnley | 10:00 a.m.
Southend United vs. Millwall | 10:00 a.m.
Stoke City vs. Leicester City | 10:00 a.m.
West Bromwich Albion vs. Crystal Palace | 10:00 a.m.
Wigan Athletic vs. MK Dons | 10:00 a.m.
Yeovil Town vs. Leyton Orient | 10:00 a.m.
Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur | 12:15 p.m.
Sunday, January 5th
Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham United | 7:00 a.m.
Sunderland vs. Carlisle United | 9:00 a.m.
Derby County vs. Chelsea | 9:15 a.m.
Liverpool vs. Oldham Athletic | 10:00 a.m.
Port Vale vs. Plymouth Argyle | 10:00 a.m.
Manchester United Swansea City | 11:30 a.m.
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