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The third round draw of the FA Cup has been completed and Tottenham Hotspur will play its first game of the competition against a Premier League opponent. Spurs were drawn away to Burnley and will visit Turf Moor in early January.
We've been drawn away at Burnley in the FA Cup Third Round. Ties will be played on 3/4 January 2015. #COYS #FACup
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 8, 2014
Everybody wants to draw the non-league team in the third round, but that's not what happened here. Burnley are currently in the EPL relegation zone, but are still a Premier League team and thus could be a dangerous opponent in an away match. They are currently 1-4-4 in all competitions, with draws against Manchester United, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Newcastle, and a home win over Hull City. Still, it could've been much worse for Spurs as they avoided an early round heavyweight match up.
The FA Cup is the premier English cup competition, and features all Football Association pyramid teams from top to bottom in a giant single-elimination tournament. There are multiple play-in and qualification rounds that feature the lower levels of the pyramid; Premier League teams are drawn into the competition beginning in the third round proper, and there's almost always some good upsets over the course of the competition. Arsenal won the 2013-14 FA Cup.
Other notable FA Cup match-ups include the following:
- Everton vs. West Ham
- Leicester City vs. Newcastle
- Sunderland vs. Leeds United
- AFC Wimbledon vs. Liverpool
- Arsenal vs. Hull City