Official: Chelsea handed tough FA Cup third round opponents

Confirmed: Chelsea to face Manchester City in 2022/23 FA Cup third round

Chelsea have been drawn to host Manchester City in the third round of the 2022/23 FA Cup season, as confirmed by the BBC.

It was arguably the toughest team we could have drawn, given City’s history in domestic competitions. They have won a domestic knockout tournament seven times since the start of the 2013/14 campaign (1 FA Cup, 6 EFL Cup).

Chelsea made it all the way to the final of the FA Cup last season, when they lost on penalties to Liverpool at Wembley – a repeat of what happened in last campaign’s EFL Cup final.

This time, we have the chance to eliminate one of the heavy-hitters in the competition early on. We have to be realistic about our chances.

Potter prepares for another Manchester City showdown

The Premier League title is arguably a two-horse race between Arsenal and Man City and one expects the latter to overtake the Gunners and win another league title. The UEFA Champions League is one of the hardest competitions to win.

The FA Cup, a trophy we last won in the 2017-18 season, isn’t easy to win by any means. But it is attainable and well within our reach given our squad strength and depth, which is why we shouldn’t take it lightly. This is arguably a season of transition for us.

Just when we thought there was an air of surety about the club with Todd Boehly taking over as owner, the club was catapulted back into uncertainty by the sudden sacking of manager Thomas Tuchel. Graham Potter has done okay.

But he is still getting to grips with managing a superclub. Given the circumstances – the backroom shuffling in particular – fans should be happy to take whatever comes their way in terms of silverware.

More Chelsea News:

• Club News: Chelsea boss Graham Potter sets first team training plan ahead of Aston Villa friendly
• Chelsea set to miss out on RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer with Bayern Munich leading the race
• Thiago Silva out to prove the doubters wrong in the World Cup after his Chelsea move was questioned

City have already eliminated us from the EFL Cup in November via a 2-0 scoreline. This is the time to exact revenge. As for our other ‘big six’ rivals, Liverpool have drawn Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United will face Everton, Tottenham Hotspur have Portsmouth while Arsenal have drawn Oxford.