bwin Sportsblog - Football - Key 3rd round action

One of the most eagerly awaited periods in the football sporting calender in England arrives this weekend with the 3rd round of the FA Cup. This is where the big teams enter the tournament and holders Manchester City will be looking to defend their trophy. However this is no mean feat and only three teams have managed that in the past 30 years in Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea.

The 3rd round stage kicks off this Friday with Liverpool at home to Oldham Athletic but we have to wait until Monday for Arsenal vs Leeds United which is a tie that encapsulates the drama of the FA Cup. The fans love a cup upset and even though Manchester City playing Manchester United is the tie of the round, the real stories in this competition come from when small teams beat the big boys.

No one would call Leeds United a small club but they are compared to Arsenal and they will relish a trip to London to see if they can beat The Gunners in their own backyard. Wigan Athletic have to travel to Swindon Town and that game has all of the ingredients for a potential upset. Even though in recent years the big teams have always surfaced to the top by the end of the tournament, some of them will be eliminated by lower league sides for sure........the question is which ones.