FA Cup Third Round: Five things to watch out for

Who will be this year’s Wigan?

One of the great things about the FA Cup is its unpredictability. When Wigan went into last year’s final against Manchester City, not many gave them a chance, but they gave the Cup the romance that has been missing for too long. But, will that trend continue this time around or will be the usual suspects? The answer to that question will decide, whether the FA Cup will be as exciting as it was last time around. The question on a lot of lips is “how many teams will dare to try to do what Wigan Athletic did?”

And although Wigan ended up getting relegated at the end of the season, they still managed to finish the season with some silverware, something Arsenal haven’t done in almost a decade. So, how many teams, like the Latics will be prepared to risk it all, for the glory of winning some silverware. Will the mid-table Premier League sides like Stoke and Aston Villa, take the cup seriously? Will the Hammers or the Black Cats risk Premier League survival for a shot at silverware? Or will Roberto Martínez, now at Everton and overseeing a Champions League push, commit to the Cup as fully as he did with Wigan?