United v City The Manchester Football Magic of the FA Cup
Last updated 12/6/2011 10:45:16 AM
United v City The Manchester Football Magic of the FA Cup
If any pessimist doubted the future of the FA Cup they were brushed away the moment the two Manchester Clubs were drawn together to play in the third round for a game which will be watched worldwide.
No one, even those with just a passing interest in football, can have missed the fact that United's noisy neighbours City turned the order of football upside down when they crushed Sir Alex Ferguson's team 6-1 at Old Trafford.
United have not been right since with a succession of scrappy wins.
But now every Manchester United optimist will believe that they have been handed the opportunity for retribution against the petro dollar rich City while those fans in light blue will delight in the prospect of now putting United out of the world's biggest domestic Cup competition.
United will make the short trip to Etihad Stadium looking to avenge October's 6-1 drubbing overshadowing every other game in the draw.
Amongst those playing second fiddle, Arsenal meet Leeds, Bristol Rovers will host Aston Villa while in-form Tottenham face Cheltenham Town.
Non-League side Tamworth travel to Everton, Wrexham face Brighton and Fleetwood will play Blackpool if they beat Yeovil in a replay.
All pale by comparison with the clash of Manchester giants, City and 11-time FA Cup winners United which by some streets the stand out tie of the draw - with the teams sitting first and second respectively in the Premier League table.
United defender Rio Ferdinand immediately wrote on Twitter: "3rd round FA cup game vs mancity..great game to kick off this yrs FA cup, can't wait."
The Manchester neighbours met in the FA Cup semi-finals last season at Wembley with Roberto Mancini's side winning 1-0 before they went on to reach their first final in 30 years where they triumphed 1-0 against Stoke.
The clubs have only met once in the FA Cup at Manchester City's home ground - back in 1954/55 when the home side won 2-0 in a fourth-round tie at their then ground Maine Road.
The tie was one of only two all-Premier League affairs to emerge from Sunday's draw, with high riding Newcastle hosting struggling Blackburn in the other.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas's first taste of the FA Cup will come at home to Championship side Portsmouth, who won the FA Cup in 2008, beating Cardiff 1-0 in the final.
Martin O'Neill's opening FA Cup tie in charge of Sunderland will come at Championship club Peterborough, while Stoke manager Tony Pulis returns to one of his former clubs at League Two side Gillingham.
Peterborough director of football Barry Fry said: "I am absolutely delighted, it is a great draw. It should be a sell-out and with Martin O'Neill going there it gives us half a chance of being on TV.
"It will be a full house, they are a Premier League club and it is a tie we can look forward to."
Liverpool must await the outcome of the second round replay between Southend and Oldham to discover their opponents. Neil Warnock's QPR face a tricky-looking visit to MK Dons who are pushing for a promotion to the Championship next season.
Blue Square Bet Premier side Tamworth will be happy with a lucrative trip to Premier League club Everton while Wrexham's reward for a stunning win at Brentford is a tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Nottingham Forest will host Leicester in an east Midlands derby and Birmingham and Wolves meet at St Andrew's in a west Midlands derby. There is definitely one all-London tie after Fulham and Charlton were paired together.
The FA Cup with Budweiser third round draw is:
Middlesbrough v Shrewsbury Town
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City
Manchester City v Manchester United
Dagenham & Redbridge/Walsall v Millwall
Crawley Town v Bristol City
Doncaster Rovers v Notts County
Bristol Rovers v Aston Villa
Tottenham Hotspur v Cheltenham Town
Sheffield Wednesday v West Ham United
Milton Keynes Dons v Queens Park Rangers
Hull City v Ipswich Town
Coventry City v Southampton
Brighton & Hove Albion v Wrexham
Fulham v Charlton Athletic
Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Norwich City v Burnley
Arsenal v Leeds United
Derby County v Crystal Palace
Fleetwood Town/Yeovil Town v Blackpool
Swindon Town v Wigan Athletic
Barnsley v Swansea City
Chelmsford City/Macclesfield Town v Bolton Wanderers
Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers
Everton v Tamworth
Sheffield United v Salisbury City/Grimsby Town
Liverpool v Southend United/Oldham Athletic
Gillingham v Stoke City
Chelsea v Portsmouth
Watford v Bradford City
Peterborough United v Sunderland
West Bromwich Albion v Cardiff City
Reading v Stevenage
Ties to be played 7-8 January 2012