Burnley v Arsenal
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper
2pm, Sunday 6 January 2008
Winning clubs receive £40,000
The FA Live TV fee is £150,000 per club.
Click here for fixtures

As a self-confessed fan of The FA Cup, Burnley striker Andy Gray is hoping that some of the Third Round magic can be spread over Turf Moor this weekend.

The Clarets are preparing to host Premiership leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon and whilst Gray knows that it will be a tough task for the Championship team to get a result, he is hoping that they can put on a good show against Arsene Wenger’s men.

The 30-year-old is from a family steeped in FA Cup history too, as his uncle Eddie won the trophy with Leeds United in 1972 and was also a losing finalist in 1973.

In addition to that, his father Frank scored for the Yorkshiremen, along with Eddie, during a Third Round game at Hartlepool United in 1979 which ended in a 6-2 win for Leeds.

With the competition giving teams across the land a chance to pit their wits against the best, Gray admits that the first weekend in January is a date that most footballers eagerly aniticpate and that's no different at the Lancashire club.

“For me, The FA Cup Third Round day has always been special and a lot of the lads look forward to the competition,” admitted Gray, ahead of Sunday's televised encounter.
 
“You remember the famous giant killings over the years and The FA Cup seems to bring out the best in games. That’s the beauty of the competition.
 
“It has given us the opportunity of playing against one of the best teams in Europe, if not the world, and that’s fantastic for us.”

With 13 goals to his name already this season, the former Sheffield United, Sunderland and Leeds man is one player that the likes of William Gallas, Kolo Toure and Philippe Senderos may have to keep a close eye on.

Burnley, under the charge of new manager Owen Coyle, are within striking distance of the Championship’s top six and have picked up some impressive results in recent months and whilst Gray is obviously keen to secure a result for the Clarets, a good performance in front of a sizeable crowd is a priority.

“To get a result would be fantastic, but it’s a just a case of enjoying it as much as you can really,” he added.

“It’s a game which the fans will have been looking forward to and it would be nice to get a full house here.

“They will be able to see all the world class players on show and hopefully we can give them a performance to be proud of.”

Gray is well aware of the challenge Burnley face though, regardless of whether the Gunners choose to name a full strength line-up or field more of their promising fringe players.

“I saw the game when their youngsters played at Sheffield United in the Carling Cup,” revealed Gray.

“They were unbelievable and I dread to think how good they will be in the next few years.
 
“The first team at the moment are exceptional too and on their day they can rip anybody to pieces. We’ll have to be at our absolute maximum all over the pitch, which isn’t going to be easy against Arsenal!”