Hull City v Arsenal not FA Cup third round’s only deja vu fixture

History will be the theme of this weekend's fixtures, with Burnley and Tottenham, AFC Wimbledon and Liverpool and Sunderland and Leeds also on offer in fina repeats.

Arsenal and Hull City contested last year's FA Cup Final at Wembley on May 17, with Arsenal winning. Paul Gilham / Getty Images

After a frantic festive period, Premier League clubs enter the FA Cup this weekend in a third-round programme thick with historical resonance.

Improbably, the very first tie out of the hat in December’s draw, which took place in Hull, was a rematch of last season’s final between Arsenal and Hull City.

Hull manager Steve Bruce, whose side lost 3-2 at Wembley last May, described the coincidence as “amazing”, and it was to prove the first of no fewer than four final repeats.

Sunderland host Leeds United in a repeat of the 1973 final, when Don Revie’s all-conquering Leeds were beaten 1-0 by second-tier Sunderland in a match remembered for a stunning double-save by Jimmy Montgomery.

At Turf Moor, Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur will face off in a remake of the 1962 final, which Spurs won 3-1 after a cagey encounter to defend the trophy they had lifted as part of the double 12 months previously.

Liverpool travel to fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon in a tie that will rekindle memories of the 1988 final, when the original Wimbledon stunned the newly crowned league champions 1-0 in one of the competition’s biggest upsets.

Wimbledon, dubbed the “Crazy Gang”, subsequently left southwest London and became Milton Keynes Dons due to falling attendances and an inability to build a new stadium, with AFC Wimbledon formed by fans opposed to the move.

“It is one of the most important milestones in our development – from finally getting out of the Ryman Premier League to getting the rights to our stadium,” said Wimbledon chief executive Erik Samuelson.

“To be playing against a Premier League team for the first time – it has to be up there with them.”

One of the most evocative ties of the round takes place on Sunday when third-division Yeovil Town welcome 11-time cup-winners Manchester United to Huish Park.

The teams have met only twice before, with both games coming in the FA Cup. United crushed Yeovil 8-0 in the fifth round in February 1949, having beaten them 3-0 in the third round 11 years earlier.

Chelsea, crushed 5-3 by Spurs in the league on Thursday, visit second-tier Watford, who they have beaten en route to glory in the competition on three occasions, in 1970, 2009 and 2010.

Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, could be excused a sense of trepidation ahead of their visit to Chelsea’s Premier League co-leaders Manchester City, having been annihilated 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the League Cup in September.

Aside from Burnley’s game against Spurs, the only other all-Premier League ties are Newcastle United’s trip to Leicester City on Saturday and Everton’s home game with West Ham United on Tuesday.

Three Premier League teams face fifth-division opposition, with Crystal Palace visiting Dover Athletic, Stoke City hosting Wrexham and Tony Pulis taking charge of West Bromwich Albion for the first time against Gateshead.

The lowest-ranked team left in the competition, Blyth Spartans of the seventh-tier Northern Premier League, tackle Championship side Birmingham City at their 4,435-capacity Croft Park home.

“There is no doubt whatsoever that we are the massive underdogs, but we will go out and give it our all,” said Blyth centre-back Nathan Buddle. “Who knows what might happen on the day?”

Fixtures

Friday:

Cardiff City v Colchester United, Milton Keynes Dons v Chesterfield

Saturday:

Barnsley v Middlesbrough, Blyth Spartans v Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic, Brentford v Brighton & Hove Albion, Cambridge United v Luton Town, Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers, Derby County v Southport, Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City, Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Huddersfield Town v Reading, Leicester City v Newcastle United, Millwall v Bradford City, Preston North End v Norwich City, Rochdale v Nottingham Forest, Rotherham United v AFC Bournemouth, Tranmere Rovers v Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion v Gateshead

Sunday:

Arsenal v Hull City, Aston Villa v Blackpool, Chelsea v Watford, Dover Athletic v Crystal Palace, Manchester City v Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield United, Southampton v Ipswich Town, Stoke City v Wrexham, Sunderland v Leeds United, Yeovil Town v Manchester United

Monday:

AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool, Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur

Tuesday:

Everton v West Ham United

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