This week, the FA Cup returns to television as eight fifth-round matches compete to advance to the quarterfinals on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights.Tuesday night’s schedule consists of three games: Blackburn Rovers hosting Newcastle United, Championship leaders Leicester City visiting Bournemouth, and defending champion Manchester City at Luton Town.
On Wednesday night, the final four matches will take place: Wolves take on Brighton; Nottingham Forest hosts Erik ten Hag’s inconsistent Manchester United; Liverpool, the League Cup winners, take on Southampton at Anfield; and Chelsea hosts old rivals Leeds United, just three days after Liverpool’s heartbreaking extra-time loss to United States in the Carabao Cup final.
As the Sky Blues crushed Maidstone United to put a stop to their incredible run, Coventry was the first team to secure a spot in the final eight. One step closer to Wembley, the eight winners will go into the hat for the next round.
Fourth Round Replay Match Brief:
In an exciting FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday that went to extra time and penalties between Bristol City and Nottingham Forest, Nottingham Forest advanced to play Manchester United in the fifth round on February 28 in order to secure a trip to the quarterfinals.
In an FA Cup fourth-round rematch match, Aston Villa faced Chelsea, although they did so without defender Ezri Konsa, who is set to miss three to four weeks of action with a knee injury. Given that Konsa has participated in 33 of the 34 games this season across all competitions, his absence will be a severe setback for Aston Villa. Aston Villa’s tournament run came to an end when they lost 3-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup due to their struggles without Konsa.
Meanwhile, Coventry City defeated Sheffield 4-1 to advance to the FA Cup fifth round. USMNT forward Haji Wright scored the game’s first goal for Coventry City. In an effort to save their FA Cup campaign, Coventry City will play home to Maidstone United, the underdogs in the competition.
These are the FA Cup standings as of right now, along with the confirmed dates for the fifth-round matches that are definitely worth watching.
Tuesday, Feb. 6:
Southampton defeated Watford with a score of 3-0.
Coventry City won against Sheffield with a score of 4-1.
Plymouth Argyle lost to Leeds United with a score of 1-4.
Wednesday, Feb. 7:
Nottingham Forests and Bristol City drew with a score of 1-1.
Aston Villa was defeated by Chelsea with a score of 0-3.
Remaining schedule for FA Cup:
FA Cup Fifth Round:
The Emirates FA Cup fifth round schedule has been confirmed. Eight games will take place from February 26 to February 28.
Monday, Feb. 26:
Coventry City vs. Maidstone United at 2:45 p.m., ET.
Tuesday, Feb. 27:
AFC Bournemouth vs. Leicester City at 2:30 p.m., ET.
Blackburn Rovers vs. Newcastle United at 2:45 p.m., ET.
Luton Town vs. Manchester City at 3:00 p.m., ET.
Wednesday, Feb. 28:
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Brighton & Hove Albion at 2:45 p.m., ET.
Nottingham Forest or Bristol City vs. Manchester United at 2:45 p.m., ET.
Liverpool vs. Southampton at 3:00 p.m., ET.
Chelsea vs. Leeds United or Plymouth Argyle, TBD.
When is the draw for the FA Cup quarterfinal?
The draw is set for Wednesday at approximately 7 p.m. GMT, which is 30 minutes before Chelsea and Leeds play Live on ITV4.
The Emirates FA Cup quarter-final draw is scheduled to commence at 1:00 p.m. ET/ 10:00 a.m. PT on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Seema Jaswal will host the event, while David Seaman will handle the ball extracting duties.
As the Wembley FA Cup final on May 25 approaches, the journey becomes shorter with only eight teams remaining to contest the quarter-final stage of the competition. Teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, and the reigning holders Manchester City are considered strong favorites as the competition progresses.
Ball numbers for the quarter-final draw of FA Cup:
A total of eight teams will go into the pot for the FA Cup quarter-final draw. You can see the numbers for the draw below.
Blackburn Rovers or Newcastle United – Ball Number 1
Chelsea or Leeds United – Ball Number 2
AFC Bournemouth or Leicester City – Ball Number 3
Liverpool or Southampton – Ball Number 4
Nottingham Forest or Manchester United – Ball Number 5
Wolverhampton Wanderers or Brighton & Hove Albion – Ball Number 6
Coventry City – Ball Number 7
Luton Town or Manchester City – Ball Number 8
Broadcasting and Live Streaming Details
ITV4 will broadcast live coverage of the FA Cup quarterfinal draw in the United Kingdom. Fans can watch the event online via the ITVX app and website; it was also aired on YouTube and the FA Cup’s social media accounts. Additionally, watch the FA Cup quarter-final draw via live stream on ESPN, you can also follow the draw live with AS USA.
International viewers have the option to stream or follow the draw via the official FA Cup YouTube channel.
When are the quarterfinal FA Cup matches happening?
The matches are set for the weekend of March 16–17. Semi-finals will take place during the weekend of April 20th. The Final is scheduled for May 25th, which falls on a Saturday.
In the FA Cup, replays are applicable for drawn games only in the third and fourth rounds. From the fifth round onwards, including the quarter-finals and beyond, ties are decided by extra time and, if necessary, penalty shootouts. Replays do not occur in the fifth round or quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Will VAR be implemented during the FA Cup fifth round?
Yes, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) is utilized in the FA Cup fifth round. However, it is only implemented at Premier League grounds, as per licensing rules.
Video Assistant Referee technology was used to the FA Cup game for the first time this season during the third round back in January. However, it was only used in a few ties, and this week’s fifth round games will continue to follow suit.
The evenings of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will see eight meetings between sixth-tier Maidstone United and reigning champion Manchester City. But because of licencing restrictions, VAR will only be used in games played at Premier League venues.
Since its initial use in a trial format in 2018, VAR has been used in the FA Cup. However, the league has never applied to the International Football Association Board (Ifab) for full usage throughout the league, as installing it at certain Football League and non-league facilities would be difficult.
Therefore, VAR will be used in all of this week’s matches against Bournemouth, Luton, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Wolves, and Liverpool. However, the technology won’t be used for the two Championship games, which are Coventry City vs. Maidstone and Blackburn Rovers vs. Newcastle United. The FA has come under fire for applying the game’s regulations unevenly throughout the competition.
