Will Liverpool be one club’s prize draw in FA Cup third round as top-flight clubs enter the fray? | OneFootball

The most anticipated FA Cup draw of the year takes place on Monday night, when the 44 Premier League and Championship clubs enter the competition.

The 20 teams who come through the second round – which takes place this coming weekend – may be dreaming of a glamour tie against one of the big boys of English football.

For those clubs who are a few rungs away from the top flight, a cup clash against a team like Liverpool may feel like winning the lottery, similar to how you can win a car with BOTB.com.

That’s certainly how it felt for Accrington Stanley player Josh Woods when, this time last year, his side were drawn against the Reds in the FA Cup third round, with the boyhood LFC fan’s excitable reaction to the pairing being confirmed going viral on social media.

Although Arne Slot’s side comfortably won the match 4-0 at Anfield, the visiting players and fans will have fond memories of that afternoon, when the Lancashire outfit conducted themselves tremendously on and off the pitch.

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Could non-league club land Liverpool glamour tie in FA Cup 3rd round?

There are just 11 teams remaining in the FA Cup from outside the Football League, although there’s guaranteed to be at least two sixth-tier representatives in the third round due to the Chelmsford City v Weston-super-Mare and Slough Town v Macclesfield ties.

Buxton are the other team from below the National League who’ve made it to the second round. Imagine what it’d be like for one of that quintet to have Liverpool coming to their home, or for them to make a rare visit to Anfield in a competitive fixture.

The Accrington game last season was one of just five occasions in the past decade that the Reds faced a team from below the second tier in the FA Cup. The others were against Exeter (2016), Plymouth Argyle (2017) and Shrewsbury twice (2020 and 2022).

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Liverpool have had some almighty scares in the FA Cup in the past

Each of those clubs earned a replay against LFC, but the biggest scare the Merseysiders have experienced in this competition in modern times came against Havant & Waterlooville in 2008, when the sixth-tier side twice took the lead at Anfield before eventually losing 5-2.

In an increasingly cynical era of the sport, the FA Cup is one competition where the anticipation of an upset for the ages is a permanent feature in the lead-up to the third round.

Liverpool will just be hoping that, if they’re drawn against a team from multiple divisions below the top flight, they’re not on the end of a good old-fashioned cup shock. It’s the last thing Slot needs after such a difficult campaign so far for the Reds!