There is nothing quite like the FA Cup. No other competition in world football can produce the kind of magic that has engulfed Macclesfield FC this winter, and tonight the fairytale continues as the National League North side welcome Brentford to the Leasing.com Stadium for a fourth round tie that few could have imagined possible.

Kick-off is at 7:30pm GMT, the match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports, and every single ticket has been snapped up. The atmosphere promises to be electric. But then, how could it not be? Macclesfield have already written themselves into the history books with the most extraordinary giant-killing act the FA Cup has ever witnessed.

By beating Crystal Palace, the reigning FA Cup holders, Macclesfield bridged a gap of 117 places in the English football pyramid. That is the largest upset in the competition's storied history, a record that stretches back over 150 years. To put it in perspective, Macclesfield play in the sixth tier of English football. Crystal Palace compete in the Premier League. The two clubs exist in entirely different sporting universes, separated by budgets, facilities, squad depth, and virtually every other metric football uses to measure status. None of it mattered when the whistle blew.

The victory also carried deep historical significance. Macclesfield became the first non-league team to knock out the reigning FA Cup holders since 1908/09, ending a drought that lasted well over a century. For a club that has endured turbulent times in recent years, this cup run has provided a story of resilience and romance that the entire footballing world has embraced.

Now comes Brentford, and another Premier League scalp is there for the taking. Thomas Frank's side will arrive in Cheshire as overwhelming favourites, just as Crystal Palace did before them. The Bees have established themselves as a shrewd and competitive top-flight outfit, built on smart recruitment and tactical intelligence. They will not take this tie lightly, not after what happened to Palace.

But that is precisely what makes the FA Cup so compelling. The smaller the ground, the louder the crowd, the tighter the pitch, the more the gap between the two sides begins to narrow. Macclesfield's players have already shown they possess the belief, the organisation, and the quality to compete with teams from the highest level. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

For the supporters packing into the Leasing.com Stadium tonight, this is more than a football match. It is a once-in-a-generation occasion, the kind of evening that will be talked about in local pubs and family living rooms for decades to come. Win or lose, Macclesfield have already achieved something remarkable. But if this cup run has taught us anything, it is that this club refuses to simply be grateful for the occasion. They came to compete against Crystal Palace, and they won. There is no reason they cannot do the same again.

The game kicks off under the floodlights at 7:30pm. The nation will be watching. And somewhere in the stands, a young supporter will be witnessing the kind of moment that makes them fall in love with football forever. That is the magic of the FA Cup. That is the magic of Macclesfield.