A special date in the footballing calendar is upon us as the draw for the FA Cup third round takes place today.

All 20 Premier League and 24 Championship clubs enter the competition at this stage, with 64 sides involved in the draw. Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth are the only non-league sides left in the FA Cup, while Morecambe, Bromley, Accrington Stanley, Harrogate Town, Salford City and Doncaster Rovers are still representing League Two.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will all be hoping for kind third round ties, while Ruben Amorim will experience his first taste of the iconic competition with holders Manchester United. The third round draw is being held at Old Trafford and will begin around 7pm on Monday, with ties played over the weekend of Saturday, January 11.

READ MORE: FA Cup third round draw IN FULL: Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham learn opponents

READ MORE: Jorginho makes Premier League title race prediction as Arsenal advantage over Liverpool revealed

Unlike draws for European competitions, there is no seeding for the FA Cup, meaning anyone can be pitted against anyone, raising the prospect of some very exciting and intriguing ties. So who could the Gunners and their fellow London rivals such as Chelsea and Tottenham get in the third round?

We used a knockout stage simulator to determine who might get who in the draw, and the results were fascinating. Holders Manchester United were drawn against Championship side Watford, while non-league sides Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth were drawn to face Accrington Stanley and Leicester City respectively.

In perhaps the tie of the simulation, Enzo Maresca's Chelsea were paired with Premier League leaders Liverpool, with the game to be played at Anfield. Arsenal, meanwhile, were handed a decent home tie against Crystal Palace, while Tottenham were drawn against QPR, with Ange Postecoglou's side at home.

Elsewhere the simulation paired Morecambe, who are rock bottom of League Two, with current Premier League champions Manchester City.

Simulated FA Cup third round draw in full:

Brentford vs Plymouth Argyle

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Ipswich Town

Birmingham City vs Charlton Athletic

Sunderland vs Doncaster Rovers

Fulham vs Cardiff City

Tamworth vs Leicester City

Salford City vs Stockport County

Bristol City vs Coventry City

Liverpool vs Chelsea

West Ham United vs Derby County

Newcastle United vs Millwall

Sheffield United vs Blackburn Rovers

Dagenham & Redbridge vs Accrington Stanley

Aston Villa vs Stoke City

Exeter City vs Burnley

Sheffield Wednesday vs Harrogate Town

Wigan Athletic vs Southampton

Oxford City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manchester United vs Watford

West Brom vs Norwich City

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

Bromley vs Lincoln City

Luton Town vs Middlesbrough

Tottenham vs QPR

Bristol Rovers vs Everton

Swansea City vs Bournemouth

Reading vs Leeds United

Morecambe vs Manchester City

Nottingham Forest vs Peterborough United

Preston North End vs Mansfield Town

Wycombe Wanderers vs Portsmouth

Hull City vs Leyton Orient