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FA Cup draw produces Manchester derby

Comment: 0 December 5th, 2011 by: admin

After the 1-6 result that set the tone for the rest of the two teams’ seasons, arch rivals Manchester City and Manchester United have been scheduled to again battle, this time for the FA Cup.

The derby will see City take on the Red Devils at the Etihad Stadium, where they have remained unbeaten in the last 10 games in all competitions.  United, however, have avoided an away defeat in their last 15 matches on the road overall.

The rivalry between the two squads has intensified this season as City’s spectacular defeat of United last October was followed by their bucking the Red Devils off the top of the Premier League.

In the FA Cup competition, Manchester City are currently the defending champions, while United hold the record for most titles at 11.

The matchup was one of two that will see one Premier League squad against another; the other affair has Newcastle hosting the Blackburn Rovers.

A third FA Cup draw usually has two teams from different divisions set to face each other, thereby creating the possibility of a squad from a lower division upsetting their higher-ranked rivals.

Chelsea, for instance, will be facing Portsmouth, who emerged victorious during the 2008 FA Cup competition.  This presents an interesting challenge for Blues manager Andre Villas-boas, who is expected to bring silverware back to Stamford Bridge.

The Portuguese was also presumably in danger of getting sacked due to Chelsea’s under-performance; they did however manage a huge comeback Saturday winning 3-0 against Newcastle.

Arsenal will hosts Leeds United after drawing in January of last year, also for the FA Cup.  This also presents a repeat of the finals in 1972, where hosts Leeds United claimed a 1-0 victory over defending title holders Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur will host League Two’s Cheltenham Town.  Aston Villa will visit the Bristol Rovers, who produced a spectacular 6-1 victory against host AFC Totton in the FA Cup’s second round last Sunday.

Liverpool’s opponent will depend on the result of an upcoming match between League Two leaders Southend and League One’s Oldham.

Fulham will be meeting League One first placers Charlton; a draw resulted in the last matchup between the two squads in 2006, and their FA Cup history shows 3 wins each team, plus 2 draws.

After the sacking of manager Steve Bruce, Sunderland come under the care of Martin O’Neill, who cuts his FA Cup teeth with a match between his Black Cats and hosts Peterborough.

The FA Cup website shows a full list of the third round matches.

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