A special date in the footballing calendar is upon us as the draw for the FA Cup third round takes place today.
All 20 Premier League and 24 Championship clubs enter the competition at this stage, with 64 sides involved in the draw. Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth are the only non-league sides left in the FA Cup, while Morecambe, Bromley, Accrington Stanley, Harrogate Town, Salford City and Doncaster Rovers are still representing League Two.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will all be hoping for kind third round ties, while Ruben Amorim will experience his first taste of the iconic competition with holders Manchester United. The third round draw is being held at Old Trafford and will begin around 7pm on Monday, with ties played over the weekend of Saturday, January 11.
Unlike draws for European competitions, there is no seeding for the FA Cup, meaning anyone can be pitted against anyone, raising the prospect of some very exciting and intriguing ties. So who could the Gunners and their fellow London rivals such as Chelsea and Tottenham get in the third round?
We used a knockout stage simulator to determine who might get who in the draw, and the results were fascinating. Holders Manchester United were drawn against Championship side Watford, while non-league sides Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth were drawn to face Accrington Stanley and Leicester City respectively.
In perhaps the tie of the simulation, Enzo Maresca's Chelsea were paired with Premier League leaders Liverpool, with the game to be played at Anfield. Arsenal, meanwhile, were handed a decent home tie against Crystal Palace, while Tottenham were drawn against QPR, with Ange Postecoglou's side at home.
Elsewhere the simulation paired Morecambe, who are rock bottom of League Two, with current Premier League champions Manchester City.
Simulated FA Cup third round draw in full:
Brentford vs Plymouth Argyle
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Ipswich Town
Birmingham City vs Charlton Athletic
Sunderland vs Doncaster Rovers
Fulham vs Cardiff City
Tamworth vs Leicester City
Salford City vs Stockport County
Bristol City vs Coventry City
Liverpool vs Chelsea
West Ham United vs Derby County
Newcastle United vs Millwall
Sheffield United vs Blackburn Rovers
Dagenham & Redbridge vs Accrington Stanley
Aston Villa vs Stoke City
Exeter City vs Burnley
Sheffield Wednesday vs Harrogate Town
Wigan Athletic vs Southampton
Oxford City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester United vs Watford
West Brom vs Norwich City
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Bromley vs Lincoln City
Luton Town vs Middlesbrough
Tottenham vs QPR
Bristol Rovers vs Everton
Swansea City vs Bournemouth
Reading vs Leeds United
Morecambe vs Manchester City
Nottingham Forest vs Peterborough United
Preston North End vs Mansfield Town
Wycombe Wanderers vs Portsmouth
Hull City vs Leyton Orient
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