CHELSEA FACE THE sternest of tests if they are to reach a fourth straight FA Cup final after being drawn away to Premier League rivals Manchester City in the third round.
Graham Potter’s men, who headed into the World Cup break sitting eighth in the table, will head for the Etihad Stadium as the big guns enter the competition over the weekend of 6-9 January.
The Blues have made it to Wembley in each of the last three years, but have ultimately gone down to Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool respectively.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, who beat Chelsea on penalties last season to lift the trophy for the eighth time, will also launch their defence against top-flight opposition when they welcome struggling Wolves to Anfield.
Erik ten Hag will get his first taste of world football’s oldest club competition when Manchester United host Everton, while West Ham make the short trip to Brentford and Southampton travel to Crystal Palace.
FA Cup third-round draw in full
Ties to be played on 6-9 January
- Preston v Huddersfield
- Middlesbrough v Brighton
- Chesterfield v West Brom
- Manchester City v Chelsea
- Charlton/Stockport v Walsall
- Boreham Wood v Accrington Stanley
- Tottenham v Portsmouth
- Derby County v Barnsley
- Cardiff City v Leeds United
- Brentford v West Ham
- Bournemouth v Burnley
- Coventry City v Wrexham
- Norwich v Blackburn
- Aston Villa v Stevenage
- Luton v Wigan
- Oxford United v Arsenal
- Fleetwood Town v QPR
- Liverpool v Wolves
- Grimsby v Burton Albion
- Blackpool v Nottingham Forest
- Dagenham & Redbridge/Gillingham v Leicester City
- Forest Green Rovers v Birmingham City
- Bristol City v Swansea City
- Hartlepool v Stoke City
- Hull City v Fulham
- Crystal Palace v Southampton
- Millwall v Sheffield United
- Shrewsbury v Sunderland
- Sheffield Wednesday v Newcastle
- Manchester United v Everton
- Reading v Watford
- Ipswich v Rotherham
Anyone else sick of all this ‘he lost the dressing room’ rubbish as if its acceptable for players to down tools or not try because they dislike the manager? If I was a Chelsea fan, I’d be outraged. These players are grown men or astronomical wages. The fact that it’s seen as acceptable in modern football for players to not bother sums up everything that’s wrong with it
To be fair to some of the players beano, n there’s a few of them that I really don’t like, I think it’s mainly mourinhos attitude / ego / bizarre post match interviews, and his deplorable treatment of the medical staff that is responsible for this! Players are responsible for their own performances I agree but when there’s been a consistent and prolonged malfunction like this one then the buck has to stop with the manager. And frankly his behaviour throughout this whole period has been disgraceful. If the manager is behaving in that way, why would the players play or behave any better. ?
Redundancy of 40.000.000 €!! Happy days special one…
Maybe now the players who have been playing totally rubbish will start getting the stick they deserve with no mourinho to blame or to Base the news stories on when Chelsea lose.
just be cafeful passing stamford bridge cause they giving ev1 3points:-)
Absolutely insane sacking Mourinho. After all he’s done for the club you would think he earned the right to stay until the end of the season at least. If 2 or 3 players were an issue in the dressing room he would have gotten rid in January.
Did you same the same about Garry Monk?
why did this take so long