We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty in the FA Cup.
The fifth round of English soccer’s oldest competition, which runs from Feb. 26-28, features some all-Premier League matches, plus a sixth-division team looking to continue its miracle run in the tournament.
Here’s what you need to know about the FA Cup’s fifth round.
Single-elimination format
The eight matchups that make up the fifth round are all single elimination and not two-legged, home-and-away affairs.
Games that are tied after 90 minutes of regulation will go to extra time and penalty kicks (if necessary) to determine who moves on. Unlike previous rounds, there are no replays in the fifth round.
The eight winners advance to the quarter-finals, which kick off on March 16.
The marquee matchup: Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester United
There are three all-Premier League matches in the fifth round, including Nottingham Forest hosting Manchester United on Wednesday (2:45 p.m. ET).
The Red Devils sit sixth in the league table with a 20-point cushion over 16th-place Forest. But Forest have already defeated United at their City Ground this season, earning a 2-1 win in Premier League action in December.
History is on Forest’s side as they have won four of their last five FA Cup games against United. A victory on Wednesday would see them qualify for the quarter-finals for the second time in three years.
If United wins at City Ground, they’ll reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for a record 48th time. They are currently tied with Everton for the most quarter-final appearances in the history of the competition.
Manchester City in contention to repeat
Another battle of Premier League clubs sees Manchester City pay a visit to Luton Town on Tuesday (3:00 p.m. ET).
Luton will have its work cut out as the reigning FA Cup champions are in fine form. Man City are unbeaten in their last 17 games (15 wins) in all competitions, a streak that dates back to December.
City won their previous two games in this season’s FA Cup without conceding a goal and are unbeaten in their last nine encounters (five wins) against Luton in all competitions, including a 2-1 win at Kenilworth Road in the Premier League earlier this season.
What’s more, the Blues have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in all but one of their seven previous seasons under manager Pep Guardiola.
Tuesday’s affair is the first FA Cup meeting between the teams since 1969 when the City earned a 1-0 win in the third round at Maine Road, their previous home stadium.
Can Liverpool get past Southampton?
Current Premier League leaders Liverpool will feature in the final match of the fifth round when they welcome Championship side Southampton to Anfield on Wednesday (3:00 P.M. ET).
The Reds are riding high after Virgil van Dijk scored in the 118th minute to give his team a 1-0 win in extra time against Chelsea in Sunday’s League Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool currently tops the Premier League table by a single point over Manchester City and is still in contention for the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League.
Southampton sits fourth in England’s second division standings and is vying to win promotion back to the Premier League for the 2024-25 season. The Saints upset top tier club Watford in the previous round in the FA Cup, so they’ll be feeling pretty good about themselves.
However, Southampton’s recent track record at Anfield makes for dire reading, as it has lost all six of their last road games in all competitions against Liverpool. If the visitors have any chance of securing a win at Anfield, they’ll have to find a way to stop Diogo Jota. The Portuguese international has five goals and four assists in 11 career FA Cup appearances for Liverpool and Wolves dating back to 2018.
Cinderella story: Maidstone United
Fourth-division team Wrexham A.F.C., co-owned by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, was eliminated in the fourth round last month. But there’s another Cinderella story going on in the FA Cup that is worthy of your attention.
Sixth-division side Maidstone United will look to continue its magical run in this year’s competition when they visit the Championship’s Coventry City on Monday (2:45 p.m. ET).
Maidstone pulled off a major upset when it defeated second-tier outfit Ipswich Town 2-1 in the fourth round last month. In doing so, the Stones became the first team from outside of England’s top five divisions to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup since Blyth Spartans did it in 1977-78.
Should Maidstone win on Monday, it’ll become only the second team from outside of England’s top four divisions to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in the last 109 years, joining Lincoln City (2016-17). The semi-professional team is managed by former defender George Elokobi, who featured in 12 FA Cup matches for Wolves during his playing days.
Player to watch: Hwang Hee-chan
The third all-Premier League battle in the fifth round sees Wolverhampton Wanderers host Brighton & Hove Albion at Molineaux Stadium on Wednesday (2:45 p.m. E.T.)
One player to keep close tabs on is Hwang Hee-chan, a 28-year-old South Korean forward who joined Wolves on loan from German club RB Leipzig in 2021 before signing a permanent deal with the Premier League outfit the following year.
Hwang has 11 goals in all competitions for Wolves this season, tied with Brazilian international Matheus Cunha as the club’s top scorer. Cunha is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, so it’ll be up to Hwang to lead the attacking charge for Wolves.
The South Korean international didn’t feature for Wolves in the last two rounds of the FA Cup as he was away on national team duty at the Asian Cup in Qatar – he scored one goal to help his country reach the semifinals. Now Hwang is focused on club matters and will be eager to open his FA Cup account and to help Wolves reach the quarter-finals for only the third time this century.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
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