Who was it who said that the powerhouses of English football only get easy draws in the FA Cup third round draw? Well you can throw that theory out of the window as Manchester United were handed a tough but spectacular looking tie away to arch rivals Manchester City.

You just couldn’t make it up. The top two in the Premier League drawing each other in the FA Cup at the first attempt that they could be paired up in the competition. Top sides are romantically meant to draw smaller teams; it’s what is meant to make the Cup special

The tie offers United and Sir Alex Ferguson a chance to make amends for the debacle that occurred this season on 23/11/11 when Roberto Mancini’s side romped to a 6-1 victory in the league clash between the sides at Old Trafford.

Both sets of fans, players and staff will need no motivation to win the tie which could prove pivotal in this season’s title race. The side that goes through to the fourth round will be sky-high in confidence whilst the losing side will be left mortified and frustrated about seeing their arch-rival go through. It’s essentially a ‘Cup Final’ game which neither side will want to lose.

City currently will go into the game as the favourites; after all it’s at their ground and based on their current form they are going to be tough to beat. They are also the Cup Holders and that will give them extra pride and motivation too.

United though will want revenge and it’s a chance for players who have been written off in recent months like Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and even Wayne Rooney to show that they can still perform on the big-occasion. There’s nothing they would love to do more than beat City on their own patch and throw a cat amongst the pigeons down at the Etihad Stadium.

Who was it who said that the FA Cup’s become boring?

By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87