Our Cup runneth over

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Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty ImagesCity versus United is the highlight of Round 3 of the FA Cup, but the weekend is full of great matches.

Just because the Prem lies dormant and most of Europe is still on winter siesta doesn't mean soccer fans are allowed to hibernate this weekend. After all, the third round of the FA Cup kicks off today!

Though England's oldest cup competition has been quietly in motion around the country since Aug. 20, the first full weekend of the new year is when it steps confidently out of the shadows and into the hearts and minds of football romantics everywhere.

If you haven't been paying attention, here's what you missed: 763 accepted clubs, pub teams, and amateurs -- including such sides as Billingham Synthonia (yes, penicillin does cure this), Sunderland Ryhope Community Association, Atherton Laburnum Rovers, Staveley Miners Welfare and the American-invested Bedlington Terriers -- modest prize purses of 750 pounds for a first-round win, and the remaining 64 teams from the Prem, nPowership, and English footy doldrums are thrown in the pot to either slaughter their opponents or get humiliated on television.

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Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesFA Cup magic: In 2003, League Two side Shrewsbury defeated Everton 2-1, a classic example of the shocking results in the competition's history.

Most tiny clubs end up comprehensively thumped by their uber-monied opponents, but the charm of the FA Cup lies in the giant-killing. Once or twice a year, a Prem side will invariably face embarrassment, especially as many big clubs treat the domestic cups (FA, league) as opportunities for squad rotation and rest amid a bruising schedule. Factor in European competitions, and the chances of tinkering rise even more.

Not that the lower-league teams care. In the past 20 years, the FA Cup has yielded plenty of magic: Arsenal's 2-1 defeat at Welsh club Wrexham in 1992 -- the Gunners were reigning league champs while the Red Dragons were, at the time, the lowest-ranked club in the English professional soccer pyramid -- then-League Two Shrewsbury's 2-1 win over Everton in 2003, fifth-tier Exeter holding Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in 2005, non-league Nuneaton's 1-1 draw with then-Prem strugglers Middlesbrough in 2006 and Sunderland's 2-1 defeat to Notts County last year all stick in the mind as proof that despite the Cup's devalued stature amid the best EPL teams, it can still be one of the best weekends in sport.

With that in mind, get acquainted with a few of the eye-catching fixtures to look forward to over the next three days.

Arsenal versus Leeds United

For the second year running, Wenger's side draws the Whites of Elland Road in the third round. Arsenal needed a 90th minute Cesc Fabregas equalizer and subsequent replay to advance last year, and they have shared several players and managers (the legendary Herbert Chapman, George Graham, David O'Leary, David Rocastle) over the course of a long and contentious rivalry.

The 1970s saw Bertie Mee and Don Revie guiding the two sides to a string of trophies -- Leeds won two league titles and finished runner-up three times in a five-year stretch from 1968 to 1972 while Arsenal did the league/cup double in 1970-71 -- despite a constant clash of styles, with the insouciant flair of Charlie George and Liam Brady juxtaposed against the uncompromising, reductive thuggery of Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner.

From there, the animus lay dormant until the 1990s, when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's late header gave Leeds a 1-0 win and derailed the Gunners' 1999-00 title chase, not to mention their 3-2 win at Highbury via Mark Viduka's offside, injury-time game-winner to simultaneously avoid relegation and stop Wenger's side winning the league in 2002-03.

Their FA Cup legend is equally mouth-watering, including Allan Clarke's goal that pushed Leeds past the defending champ Gunners in the 1972 FA Cup final, Ian Wright 117th minute 3-2 winner in the 1993 fourth round and The Invincibles' scintillating 4-1 romp in the 2004 third round in the midst of their 49-game unbeaten run.

In 2011, the Gunners have recovered from their early-season nightmare -- losing just twice in the Prem since Oct. 2 -- on the back of Robin van Persie's prolific scoring and Cesc-lite Mikel Arteta orchestrating the midfield. It doesn't even matter that Theo Walcott is regressing into Andrei Arshavin, especially when Leeds is floundering, losing two of its past three in the Championship. Oh, and the fact that its strong starting XI was thrashed 3-0 in the Carling Cup in September by a United side that exhumed Michael Owen, Mame Biram Diouf and a 19-year-old left back.

No matter which side Wenger runs out -- Ryo Miyaichi, Craig Eastmond and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, anyone? -- especially with CL knockouts on the horizon, I'd still expect the Gunners to run through the West Yorkshire tykes like a plate of dodgy lasagna.

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Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty ImagesWhen City and United met in the league in October, Mario Balotelli stirred the pot after scoring.

Manchester City versus Manchester United

As the joke/crackpot conspiracy theory goes, Sir Alex Ferguson is always gifted a favorable draw in big competitions, though this time he finds his limping Red Devils pitted against the one team he would have been desperate to avoid. Since Roberto Mancini's side executed a symphonic 6-1 thrashing of United at Old Trafford in the league, Rooney & Co. have been tenacious enough to keep pace with the Sky Blues atop the Prem table. But in the past 10 days, we've seen plenty of proof that the disparity remains. Defeats against Blackburn (3-2) at home and Newcastle (3-0) away have exposed United's brittle back line since losing Nemanja Vidic for the season with a shredded knee, while its midfield lacks the creativity and verve to keep Rooney -- four goals in his past 13 Prem games since opening the season with nine in his first five -- leading from the front. Oh, and David de Gea's more Mark Bosnich than Peter Schmeichel between the posts.

Meanwhile, City thrashed Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad on Tuesday despite enjoying just 39 percent possession, the personification of attacking efficiency. As if its form and mostly healthy squad -- though the Toure brothers will be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations shortly and Mario Balotelli will miss the game with an ankle injury -- weren't menacing enough for Reds supporters, some gamesmanship over ticket allocations adds an extra frisson of fun to an already combustible atmosphere.

Look for City's second-string -- Stefan Savic, Samir Nasri, Adam Johnson et al -- to run roughshod over whatever healthy bodies United has to choose from.

Everton versus Tamworth

A trip to Goodison Park might not titillate the majority of teams, but for Tamworth, the mighty Lambs of Staffordshire, a prime draw against one of only seven teams to play in all 20 Premier League seasons is as good as it gets.

The Conference National side (fifth tier of English soccer) is the second-lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition and seems like little threat for the Toffees despite another difficult season for David Moyes. Wednesday saw USMNT goalie Tim Howard scoring direct on a downfield, route one hoof against bottom side Bolton, making him the fourth goalie in Prem history (along with Schmeichel, Brad Friedel and Paul Robinson) to notch a goal. But not even such a historic feat could prevent David Ngog and Gary "Chelsea-bound" Cahill from sending Everton to a 2-1 defeat, their ninth defeat in 19 league games this season.

Boosting the Toffees is Landon Donovan's return on another "Becks Special" short-term loan, hoping to demonstrate more of the kinetic, aggressive play that won his endless praise from the U.K. punditry during his impressive 2010 stint on Merseyside (two goals, three assists in 10 EPL appearances). His arrival couldn't be more timely, either. With Jack Rodwell and Phil Jagielka limping off during Wednesday's defeat and Louis Saha's sustained ineptitude in the attacking third -- one goal in 14 EPL games -- the fourth lowest-scoring squad is desperate for his industry.

Still, they should march on in the FA Cup … right?

Other games of interest:

Birmingham City versus Wolverhampton Wanderers

Stomaching 90 minutes of either of these drab, ailing, regional rivals is the very definition of attrition, but pitting them head-to-head is sure to provide some Cup weekend intrigue. Though both sides would admit they're not their biggest enemies in the Midlands -- Brum hates Aston Villa while the Wolves' largest loathing is West Brom -- there's still the chance for Blues fans, still despondent over pending money laundering charges in Hong Kong against owner Carson Yeung (Hint: It's very bad), to see former defensive bedrock Roger Johnson in action for Mick McCarthy's winless-in-six Wanderers. They'll be less thrilled, however, about facing Steven Fletcher (eight Prem goals, one assist in 15 games).

Liverpool versus Oldham

The failure of both the club and Luis Suarez to comprehensively apologize for their conduct following the FA's ruling on racism charges will be far more damaging to the club's long-term outlook than the eight games that the Uruguayan must miss, but a comprehensive win against Oldham Athletic -- currently 14th in League One with 17 points from their past 15 games -- may help to buttress their on-field confidence in the short term. There's even a chance that Andy Carroll will score.

But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves; the Latics have some bite in ex-Fulham and Newcastle striker Shefki Kuqi (13 goals in 24 games this season), plus their pregame plans are worth skipping out of work early Friday to check out. With all things Liverpool, this one has strong upset potential.

Newcastle United versus Blackburn Rovers

Normally this would be a run-of-the-mill encounter, but I'm dubbing this The Battle of the Last Two Teams to Throttle Manchester United. Definitely something for them to talk about in the tunnel before kickoff, you'd imagine. The Toon thrashed the lads from Ewood Park 3-1 in September with a Demba Ba hat trick, and though they'll be without their prolific frontman for a month because of the Africa Cup of Nations, there's more than enough quality at the SportsDirect.com/MikeAshleyGeordiePalace to withstand Steve Kean's yo-yoing squad. Yakubu & Co. will be emboldened to withstand the onslaught with news that a Rovers supporters group is calling on fans to swap the trip to Tyneside for a jaunt to a non-league local match instead. However, it's not entirely intended as yet another protest against Kean and the mediocre Venky's ownership; ex-Rovers legends Garry Flitcroft and Matt Jansen -- currently manager and player-coach of the deep-in-debt Northern Premier League (seventh tier of English soccer) Chorley Town -- could use an improved crowd as their club struggles to avoid administration.

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Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty ImagesChelsea defeated Portsmouth to win the FA Cup in 2010. The two sides meet again this weekend.

Chelsea versus Portsmouth

AVB's Blues host the financially challenged Pompey in a rematch of the 2010 FA Cup final, won on the back of Didier Drogba's artful second-half free kick. Sadly for AVB, the Ivorian is leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, leaving Blues fans with the prospect of yet more Fernando Torres when Daniel Sturridge's 2011 form (nine goals in 15 Prem games) should make the 22-year-old a no-brainer up top. Pompey should be no match in spite of Chelsea's seemingly endless "club in crisis" headlines, particularly when you realize that the Fratton Park side is under administration (for a second time) since June, has a Lithuanian owner in court to face asset-stripping charges back home and is set to announce at least its fifth different owner since May 2009. Oh, and there's no guarantee the players are getting paid this month due to their precarious financial position. Put like that, how could the Stamford Bridge prawn brigade really consider a run of average form (six points from its past five games against Wigan, Spurs, Fulham, Aston Villa and Wolves) as anything close to a crisis?

Despite their league disparity -- Pompey sit seven points above the drop zone to League One, while Chelsea is still firmly in the scrap for Champions League footy in 2012-13 -- you'd fancy that not even David Luiz could screw up a win for AVB.

James Tyler is a freelance writer who has worked for ESPN The Magazine. He was the founder and editor of Unprofessional Foul and has written for Run of Play and Time magazine. He can be found on Twitter at @UFJamesT.

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James Tyler

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James Tyler is an ESPN editor for soccer.