Instead of popping along to see my Priest, I am going to use you, Dear Reader, to hear my confession although I am not sure that what I am about to say is much of a sin. I love the first Saturday in January. FA Cup Third Round day is still a magical day in the calendar. There, I’ve said it. Got it off of my chest, no longer shall I carry that shabby secret close to my heart.

It is one of only three fixtures that I genuinely look forward to before the season has started – the other ones are the final itself and the opening day fixture. People may say that the romance of the FA Cup has gone, diminshed by two decades of obvious winners, less genuine shocks as each year goes by. Perhaps it is because when I was as a child, the FA Cup held a special place in the hearts of all football fans, before Sky had pumped their lucre into the game, starting a process that distorted it beyond all proportionality. I can remember a time when it was a badge of pride to be able to name all of the FA Cup winners since 1950, in order, with scores. Now it is probably the badge of an anorak but I can still do it. The final itself was an event, not just a match. Several hours of TV beforehand – It’s A Knockout, Mastermind and their ilk – as well as a massive smattering of football. Going to the final was still an ideal, the days were long and fun, not so much if you lost but it was one of the things that made football the large part of our lives that it still remains, albeit in a different way. Rounds One and Two get the process underway but Round Three was when the fun really started, the time when you got the feeling of whether your name was on the Cup or not.

These days though, I feel sorry for the generation of supporters who have missed out what an event the final was. It seems to me, and maybe I am wrong, but it is not such a big thing. It is if you attend but there is not the buzz about that there used to be on FA Cup Final Saturday. Even if your team was not involved, you could still buy the programme in WH Smiths. Not any more. The Third Round is no different. Now it is just another game to a large number of fans, nothing particularly special. And that, Dear Reader, is the real sin.

Anyway back to the game in hand, now that I’ve wiped those Rose Coloured Spectacles clean of misty-eyed tears for yesteryear. The draw has been unkind this year but not devastatingly so. Liverpool are in fine form at home in the other competitions and Anfield has not been a happy hunting ground. But this is a one-off and the form book has gone out of the window, the teams set to do battle at a more frenetic pace than you would normally expect in a Premiership match.

Team news from Arsenal is positive compared to recent weeks. A large number of the walking wounded are coming back to fitness – not quite ready for this evening – with the only downside the absence of Cesc Fabregas through suspension. In the games where he has been absent, the team have struggled to find form and fluency but it should be noted that those games have tended to be against lower placed Premiership teams, those that do not attempt to match Arsenal’s passing philosophy. Liverpool are not one of those teams, believing that they have the footballing ability to match Arsene’s Army. The centre of midfield will be the key battleground with Gilberto needing to keep a tight rein on Gerrard. If it was me making the choice, I would replace Fabregas with Rosicky in a four man midfield. The match is I think, tailor made for Baptista in terms of the opposition. Liverpool will not try to kick him from pillar to post, something that seems to have thrown him in previous outings. Baptista would be my choice for a second striker with RvP on the left. That is what I would do, not that it counts one jot. Arsene has named his sixteen man squad and it is as follows (according to the BBC, not normally noted for their accuracy):

Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Gilberto, Flamini, Rosicky, Aliadiere, Henry, Almunia, Djourou, Hoyte, Denilson, van Persie, Baptista, Song

For the line-up, I expect only one change from Tuesday, Arsene not wanting to change a winning team and with the Carling Cup in mind:

Lehmann; Eboue, Toure, Senderos, Clichy; Hleb, Rosicky, Gilberto, Flamini; van Persie, Henry

It makes sense to me for Eboue to come back straight into the side at Hoyte’s expense for this game. Lauren can come in on Tuesday on the right with Hoyte on the left. I think in Arsene’s mind he will want to leave Baptista on the bench to give himself an option if either Henry or van Persie looks tired after the hour mark. For me though, the interesting option is that of Denilson on the bench. An attacking midfielder but more in the mould of Fabregas than Rosicky, I can see him coming on if the Czech tires or misfires. Otherwise it is pretty much a case of picking the strongest XI available.

If you are in need of a boost before this evening (or straws to clutch onto, depending on your optimism) then consider this. The record of meetings between the two teams in this competition is close, fourteen ties of which Arsenal have won six, Liverpool four and four draws. But the straw to clutch at, Arsenal have never lost at Anfield in the FA Cup. Honest, its true. I checked and double checked. Aah but Big Man where is the catch? Well there is one, they have only played two ties there, a 0 – 0 draw in 1922/23 and a 2 – 0 victory in 1935/36. Not much modern history as it goes but there you have it.

For those of you who would like to read a Liverpool perspective on this evenings kickabout, may I suggest that you hop over to Have You Ever Been To Liverpool where the Big Fella is giving his view today but has rather even handedly recalled two finals between the clubs in our lifetimes.

Elsewhere, the ties where I think that upsets may occur are:

Bristol City to beat Coventry, 2 – 1
Leicester City to beat Fulham, 3 – 1
Nottingham Forest to beat Charlton, 1 – 0

and, wait for it,

Cardiff to turn Tottenham over, 2 – 1.

I’m off to the Palace this afternoon to watch their match against Swindon with Pops & Lil’ Sis and to find a boozer shortly afterwards but wherever you are, I wish you and your team the Best of British and I’m going to put my faith in Arsene and the boys to deliver although I have to say that this one will be resuming in a couple of weeks time at The Emirates is my prediction.