As the FA Cup rolls on, the path to the final is becoming clearer with only 16 teams remaining in the competition. Port Vale and Mansfield Town are the lowest clubs in the English pyramid remaining, hailing from League One, while Arsenal and Manchester City are still in the competition, balancing Premier League title and Champions League hopes while trying to also conquer this domestic cup. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of things to watch during an intriguing fifth round of play, like Rob Mac (formerly known as McElhenney) and Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham hosting Chelsea with a spot in the next round on the line. While teams rotate in earlier rounds due to balancing so many competitions, when the finish line is in sight, everyone wants a chance to lift that coveted trophy. Here’s what to know:
All eyes are on the Racecourse Ground
With their deepest run in the FA Cup in club history, Wrexham’s Hollywood story moves on in the FA Cup, welcoming a struggling Chelsea side to their ground. Now in the playoff places in the Championship, this is a chance for the Dragons to show that they belong in the Premier League next season, and in Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea, they will face a side susceptible to letdowns.
The Blues are in the middle of a tough stretch, winning a tricky game at Aston Villa in league play while Champions League round of 16 looms, where they’ll face Paris Saint-Germain, so it’s tough to throw their best squad at all of those matches at once. Wrexham may also be dealing with fixture congestion, but these are the kind of cup runs that can fuel promotion up the pyramid, giving Phil Parkinson plenty of reasons to throw everything he can at defeating the Blues.
Can Wolverhampton do it again?
After delivering a shock home victory over Liverpool on Tuesday that could keep the Reds out of Champions League play next season, Rob Edwards may be able to keep things going if he can topple Liverpool twice in a week. While they’ll likely be relegated from the Premier League, Wolves have been an entirely different outfit under Edwards, only losing once in their last six matches in all competitions while taking points off of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa. All while being 11 points from Premier League safety.
Arne Slot has had a strange season in charge of Liverpool, and getting knocked out of the FA Cup would be something else that could make it likely to see changes during the summer that will see plenty of top coaches on the market, including former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.
Relegation likely while making a cup run?
For the first time in 30 years, Port Vale are in the FA Cup fifth round thanks to knocking off Bristol City on Tuesday. Now, they have quite a task facing Sunderland despite sitting 24th in League 2. Along with Arsenal and Mansfield Town, this is the biggest gap in this round of matches, but even Mansfield are at least midtable, while Port Vale are nine points from safety in the third division. Sunderland have taken the Premier League by storm since getting promoted from the Championship, and they’re pushing for a top-half spot.
Stranger things have happened, and with Port Vale already knocking off a Championship side, who knows? Are the Black Cats next?
FA Cup schedule
All times Eastern.
Friday, March 6
- Wolverhampton vs. Liverpool, 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
- Mansfield Town vs. Arsenal, 7:15 a.m.
- Wrexham vs. Chelsea, 12:45 p.m.
- Newcastle United vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 8
- Fulham vs. Southampton, 8 a.m.
- Port Vale vs. Sunderland, 9:30 a.m.
- Leeds United vs. Norwich City, 12:30 p.m.
Monday, March 9
- West Ham United vs. Brentford, 3:30 p.m.
