Saints v. Reds

By Chris,
December 5 2008

Manchester United will travel to Hampshire in the third round of the F.A Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson's men have been paired alongside Championship strugglers Southampton in a game scheduled to take place on either the 3rd of 4th of January. The game will mark United's sixth visit to the St.Mary's – with the Red Devils boasting five wins and just one defeat at the 32,500-capacity stadium.

Southampton currently sit 19th in the Championship and are hovering ominously above the drop zone.

The draw, however, will provide a massive boost to the struggling south-coast club with United set to visit the St.Mary's on the first weekend of January.

Last season, United were knocked-out of the competition by Southampton's bitter rivals Portsmouth at the quarter-final stage. Pompey went onto win the competition.

The third-round draw has produced few mouth-watering ties - with non-league Barrow's trip to Middlesbrough capturing most of the headlines. The full draw is as follows:

Portsmouth v Bristol City
Sheffield Wed v Fulham
Preston v Liverpool
Birmingham v Wolves
West Ham v Barnsley
Middlesbrough v Barrow
Hull City v Newcastle
Hartlepool v Stoke
Chelsea v Southend
Manchester City v Nottingham Forest
Cardiff v Reading
Ipswich v Chesterfield or Droylsden
Charlton v Norwich
West Brom v Peterborough or Tranmere
Torquay v Blackpool
Leyton Orient v Sheffield United
Southampton v Manchester United
Millwall v Crewe
Histon v Swansea
Forest Green Rovers v Derby
QPR v Burnley
Leicester v Crystal Palace
Tottenham v Wigan
Cheltenham v Doncaster
Arsenal v Plymouth
Notts County or Kettering v Eastwood Town
Bournemouth or Blyth Spartans v Blackburn
Macclesfield v Everton
Watford v Scunthorpe
Sunderland v Bolton
Coventry v Kidderminster
Gillingham or Stockport v Aston Villa