FA Cup magic: 3 potential upsets in this season's 3rd round

Millions of football fans in England and beyond are itching for the FA Cup third round to kick off this weekend.

Each season throws up a few shocks as a lower-league upstart turfs one of the larger outfits in the tournament - last term's standout surprise was League One's Bradford City coming back from 2-0 down to beat Chelsea 4-2 in the fourth round at Stamford Bridge.

Here are some fixtures that could provide a shock in this season's FA Cup third round:

Exeter City vs. Liverpool

Many of the classic upsets in FA Cup history occur at the basic facilities of a lower-league club's home. At fourth-tier Exeter City, Liverpool's stars could be humbled by what they find at the 112-year-old St James' Park, with its cramped changing rooms and lacking amenities.

"It's a completely shocking experience for anybody," Exeter's snappily dressed gaffer Paul Tisdale told the Guardian. "There's one bog. We've had the showers run out before - we hope it doesn't happen on the Liverpool day. We're not doing this to piss them off."

Veteran striker Clinton Morrison, who represented Birmingham City in the Premier League, also believes the surroundings at Exeter's ground could work to the team's advantage on Friday.

"The pitch won't be the best, we've had a lot of rain down here so it will be difficult for Liverpool to get their slick passing going," Morrison said on theFA.com. "If we get in their faces, press them, who knows?"

The Grecians will also be encouraged by Jurgen Klopp's burdensome injury list. With Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel, Kolo Toure, and Mamadou Sakho all struggling with injuries, Liverpool could turn to the likes of Lucas Leiva, Emre Can and forgotten man Tiago Ilori for the centre of its defence.

Manchester United vs. Sheffield United

It says a lot of Sheffield United's struggles in recent years that a win over Manchester United on Saturday would be considered a giant-killing.

Relegated from the Premier League under controversial circumstances in 2007, the Blades are now in their fifth straight season in the third tier and go to Old Trafford off the back of a humbling 3-2 home loss to Peterborough United.

Self-professed "fat lad" Billy Sharp will lead the attack against the Red Devils, trying to take confidence from then-League One Leeds United's win in Stretford in 2010, when Jermaine Beckford slid home to kick its great rival out of the third round.

Louis van Gaal should also be wary of 19-year-old Che Adams, who has allegedly caught the attention of Manchester City in recent times.

Chelsea vs. Scunthorpe United

Scunthorpe United's 3,000 seats at Stamford Bridge were snapped up in no time, and for those who missed out, the club is also offering £1 tickets to watch the match against Chelsea at Glanford Park's Sir Ian Botham Executive Lounge. It is an occasion that has captured the whole town, but it's not simply a leisurely three-and-a-half-hour trip south for the club's players.

"We're drilling in what the manager wants from us, and we're going there to give a really good account of ourselves," portly skipper Stephen Dawson, who has missed much of the campaign after knee surgery, told the club website. "We're not going just for a day out.

"We know how much the fans will enjoy the day out, but it's a lot of money for them travelling down to London. I've been down there, and I know the prices."

Hopefully for the Iron, it will be a costly afternoon for Chelsea on Sunday, as it's likely to field some peripheral members in its squad with the chief focus on improving its standing in the Premier League table.

"We know come Sunday we will be running further and faster than we've ever had to before," manager Mark Robins told the Scunthorpe Telegraph.

Notable mentions

Once a top-tier side vying for European places and boasting the likes of Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Ivan Campo in its ranks, cash-strapped Bolton is now bottom of the Championship and must be dreading potential embarrassment at fifth-tier Eastleigh on Saturday.

The weekend also sees three League Two outfits take on three Premier League sides. Dagenham & Redbridge visits Everton, Oxford United plays Swansea City, and Wycombe hosts struggling Aston Villa at Adams Park. All ties have shock potential.