FA Cup third round draws for Leeds United, Barnsley, Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United, Hull City, Middlesbrough and Harrogate Town
The Whites were drawn in one of only three all-Premier League match-ups, leaving them a difficult task to reach round four for the first time under coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Championship sides Huddersfield Town, Hull City and Sheffield United are all due to face Premier League opposition, whilst League Two promotion hopefuls Harrogate Town not only did not get the glamour trip they were hoping for from their first FA Cup third-round tie, but face tricky opposition to boot in Luton Town.
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Hide AdBielsa has lost all his previous FA Cup matches, to Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal and Crawley, and is still to be drawn at Elland Road in the competition.
Leeds lost on their only previous visit to the London Stadium, in March, and David Moyes has come out on top in all three matches against Bielsa’s team but as always in the early stages of the modern-day FA Cup, it could be as much about which team is least apathetic towards the competition as ability, at least in matches between teams from the same division.
Hull are at home to Everton, who knocked Huddersfield out of this season’s League Cup. As things stand, the second-tier side are in far better form than their visitors, but the tie is still some way off. Carlos Corberan’s Terriers are at relegation-threatened Burnley and Sheffield United travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Middlesbrough are at Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town, who beat Doncaster Rovers in round two, and Barnsley host the winners of next week’s replay between Barrow and managerless Ipswich Town at Holker Street.
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Hide AdPaul Cook was sacked on Saturday after his Ipswich team failed to beat Barrow, one point above the League Two relegation zone, at the first time of asking.
Like League Two promotion-chasers Harrogate, League One leaders Rotherham United are away to a Championship side punching above its weight this season. Manager Mark Warburton has led Queens Park Rangers to fifth in the table and Nathan Jones’s Luton are 12th.
Arguably Leeds’s only rival for the heavyweight tie of the round paired Manchester United with Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa, whilst the most romantic offering sends Conference side Chesterfield to Chelsea. Leicester City host Watford.
The matches are due to take place on the second weekend of January but exact dates are yet to be confirmed, with Leeds’s tie almost certain to be one of those shown live on either BBC or ITV, who are sharing the rights to show this season’s competition. Despite the ongoing truncation of the competition, third-round ties will still go to a replay if scores are level after 90 minutes.
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Hide AdMeanwhile, Leeds face an FA investigation after Bryan Mbeumo and Sergi Canos appeared to be struck by objects from the Elland Road crowd during Brentford’s 2-2 draw there.
FULL DRAW: Nottingham Forest v Arsenal, Charlton Athletic v Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers v Rotherham United, West Ham United v Leeds United, Peterborough United v Bristol Rovers, Barnsley v Ipswich Town or Barrow, Newcastle United v Cambridge United, Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United, Manchester United v Aston Villa, Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town v Harrogate Town, Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers, Swindon Town v Manchester City, Port Vale v Brentford, Millwall v Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur v Morecambe, Bristol City v Fulham, Hull City v Everton, Hartlepool United v Blackpool, Mansfield Town v Middlesbrough, Leicester City v Watford, Kidderminster Harriers v Reading, West Bromwich Albion v Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley v Huddersfield Town, Coventry City v Derby County, Cardiff City v Preston North End, Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town, Chelsea v Chesterfield, Swansea City v Southampton, Stoke City v Leyton Orient, Yeovil Town v Bournemouth, Boreham Wood or St Albans City v Wimbledon.
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