London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea face Fixtures congestion ahead of the FA Cup draw and rescheduled fixtures
All fourth round matches but two have concluded: Nine clubs from the Premier League and five from the second-tier Championship have advanced thus far.
There will be a new winner this year, as defending champions Leicester City crashed out in the fourth round at the hands of Nottingham Forest.
The eight knockout matches of the FA Cup fifth round are currently scheduled to be staged on the same day and time, on Wednesday, March 2.
The shock of the FA Cup so far saw 5th tier club Boreham Wood top Bournemouth, advancing to the fifth round in stunning fashion.
On Sunday, the draw for the fifth round was made and each side will be confident of progressing to the next stage.
Chelsea will be on their travels with Luton Town their destination, Crystal Palace welcome Stoke to Selhurst Park, West Ham travel to Southampton while Spurs face Championship opposition in the shape of Middlesbrough.
Chris Wilder’s side dumped Manchester United out of the cup at Old Trafford on Saturday and Antonio Conte will be eager to avoid such an upset.
It is tradition that FA Cup games are given pride of place across an entire weekend, but the fifth round will be played entirely in midweek, with the FA pencilling in March 2 for the clashes.
FA Cup 5th round draw
Luton vs Chelsea
Crystal Palace vs Stoke
Peterborough vs Man City
Liverpool vs Norwich
Southampton vs West Ham
Middlesbrough vs Tottenham
Nottingham Forest vs Huddersfield
Everton vs Boreham Woodhn
The 2021-22 Premier League season has faced huge disruption with the north London derby representing the 20th match postponed.
Tottenham were due to face Brighton in December in a match which is postponed due to snow and also the Controversial north London derby which was postponed with only one positive Covid case.
While Chelsea on the other hand were due to face Brighton in February but the game had to be rescheduled due to the Blues’ involvement in the Club World Cup
Come the end of January, Chelsea will have played 16 matches in just two months.
And that number could increase to 17 if they advance into the FA Cup fourth round.
FA SCHEDULED DATES
Round of 16 (Fifth Round): Wednesday, March 2
Quarterfinals: Saturday-Sunday, March 19-20
Semifinals: Saturday, April 16
Final: Saturday, May 14