FA Cup Tickets

All 20 top flight teams could attain the fourth phase of the FA Cup this weekend after the draw kept them apart -- a first in the competition's long history. Every year since the 134-year-old Cup was restructured to its current format in 1925, at least one of the 32 third-round matches has been between two clubs from the first division. So in theory at least, all 20 Premier League teams could be out by the end of the weekend, although the chances of that are all but unreal with leaders Chelsea facing fourth division Scunthorpe United. Elsewhere, FA Cup Tickets holders Manchester United play non-League Exeter City at Old Trafford and Newcastle United take on the part-timers from Yeading at Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road ground in west London. Chelsea, seven points appear at the top of the Premier League having won their last five matches without conceding a goal, play Scunthorpe in search of  avenging a shock 6-3 cumulative defeat in the FA League Cup in 1988 which former Chelseastriker Kerry Dixon remembers only too well. "It has to be up there with Chelsea's worst-ever defeats," he recalls on the club website. "We were going well at the time and it was a big example of over-complacency."
In goal for Scunthorpe then was 18-year-old Paul Musselwhite who, after spells at Port Vale and Hull City, will be facing Chelsea again on Saturday.
 
Manchester United should also see off Exeter at Old Trafford and Newcastle, even without the injured Alan Shearer among others, should prove far too strong for Yeading, through to this stage for the first time in their history. A defeat for any of those three Premier League clubs would give a shock to compare with any in the FA cup's Tickets history -- but the real chance of upsets seem to be elsewhere. Aston Villa's progression will come under risk at second division Sheffield United, pushing for promotion back to the Premier League after an 11-year absence. The Blades have lost only one of their last 11 matches and Villa have won only one of their last eight, conceding their last match 2-0 to struggling Premier League rivals Crystal Palace on Monday. Palace also risks an early elimination at Sunderland, who is third in the second division despite losing and drawing their last two league matches. Premier League Norwich City, Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion also face tricky away ties against second division opposition. West Brom, without a win for 14 matches in the last three months, travel to Preston North End who are pushing for a play-off place, while Norwich go to sixth-placed promotion hopefuls West Ham and Bolton travel to leaders Ipswich. Bolton ended a 10-match run without a victory when they scrambled a last-minute 2-1 win at Birmingham on Tuesday and will need to show more of the same resilience to see off Joe Royle's high-flyers. Arsenal, denied an extraordinary fourth successive FA Cup final appearance when they lost to Manchester United in last season's semi-final at Villa Park, tackle old adversaries Stoke City, now languishing in mid-table in the second division. Arsenal denied Stoke what would have been their first ever FA Cup final appearances when they defeated them in replayed semi-finals in both 1971 and 1972 -- and should have no problems seeing them off again without the call for a rematch. Tottenham Hotspur should complete a successful cup weekend for north London by beating lowly second-division Brighton at White Hart Lane -- with or without the help of the linesman. Spurs, showing signs of improvement under new Dutch coach Martin Jol after years in the doldrums, are unbeaten in their last nine matches.
 
That includes their 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday which would have been a victory but for a linesman failing to notice Pedro Mendes's last-minute shot going a meter over Roy Carroll's goal-line after a fumble. Charlton Athletic also look set for a win against fourth division Rochdale at The Valley while Liverpool should be the first Premier League club into the fourth round draw if they can win at Turf Moor against Burnley on Friday night.The FA NLS Cup, restricted to those leagues contending at Level 4 of the National League System, was formed with the intention of finding a wining league representative side to fly the flag for England in the UEFA Regions Cup. Competition in the FA cup is limited to "amateur" players who must not be, or have been under a written professional contract at any point of their career. The opening FA National League System Cup competiton, in corporation with Carlsberg, is now under way with 22 of the 42 entitled leagues having entered. The winners will be selected as England's representatives in the 2004/2005 UEFA competition in a similar manner to the UEFA Cup where the winner of The FA cup is designated to take part.