FA Cup third round draw simulator: Man Utd handed tough task, while Liverpool and Arsenal face tricky away ties

With the FA Cup third-round draw taking place this afternoon, SPORTbible thought to run a simulator and see what ties were handed out to the Premier League’s finest.

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup will take place on Sunday, as teams from the Premier League and Championship enter the heralded cup competition and provide clubs from across the pyramid the chance to play England and Wales’ biggest sides.

Manchester City are the defending champions after beating rivals United 2-1 in June's final at Wembley.

With Pep Guardiola’s men, United and the other 18 top-flight clubs set to find out their opponents for the third round, we decided to run a draw simulator and see how each team fared.

Our simulator handed United the tricky task of taking on Brighton at Old Trafford, a fixture where the Seagulls have fared well in recent seasons.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have been given a tricky away trip to Championship high-flyers Leicester City, who won the FA Cup back in 2021.

Arsenal have been drawn away against fellow Premier League side Newcastle - a tricky encounter for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Elsewhere, holders City face Championship side Plymouth away from home, in what will be a long and arduous journey for the reigning treble winners.

Tottenham have been handed a home fixture against Sheffield Wednesday, while Chelsea have been dealt an all-Premier League tie against Crystal Palace.

Below is the rest of our simulated draw:

Leeds United vs Coventry City

Bristol City vs AFC Wimbledon or Ramsgate

Nottingham Forest vs Cambridge United

West Ham United vs Bolton Wanderers

Burnley vs Southampton

Blackpool or Forest Green Rovers vs Wigan Athletic

Blackburn Rovers vs AFC Bournemouth

Chesterfield or Leyton Orient vs Millwall

Aston Villa vs Ipswich Town

Birmingham City vs Brentford

Everton vs Crewe Alexandra or Bristol Rovers

Watford vs Sheffield United

Sutton United vs West Bromwich Albion

Rotherham United vs Fulham

Luton Town vs Oxford United

Stoke City vs Middlesbrough

Cardiff City vs Maidstone United

Eastleigh or Reading vs Norwich City

Aldershot Town or Stockport County vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Sunderland vs Preston North End

Morecambe vs Queens Park Rangers

Wrexham or Yeovil Town vs Swansea City

Gillingham vs Peterborough United

Stevenage or Port Vale vs Huddersfield Town

Hull City vs Shrewsbury Town

Alfreton Town or Walsall vs Newport County or Barnet