I don’t think we could have asked for any more, really. If Leicester come through their replay, every single tie will see a Premier League tie face lower-league opposition, and in tricky ties. Sutton United hosting Arsenal is the obvious highlight, but Fulham, Wolves and Huddersfield will certainly test Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Elsewhere, Manchester United face a derby at Blackburn, and non-league Lincoln have a top-flight trip to Burnley. Even the two most unremarkable ties could well see upsets, with Oxford at Boro, and Millwall hosting either Derby or Leicester. Keep your diary free for the weekend of 18th/19th February. Cheerio!
The fifth-round draw in full
...and it’s an absolute beauty.
Burnley v Lincoln City
Fulham v Tottenham
Blackburn v Manchester United
Sutton United v Arsenal
Middlesbrough v Oxford
Wolves v Chelsea
Huddersfield v Manchester City
Millwall v Derby/Leicester
Millwall v Derby County or Leicester City
Huddersfield Town v Manchester City
Wolves v Chelsea
Middlesbrough v Oxford United
Sutton United v Arsenal!
Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur
Updated
Burnley v Lincoln City
Here we go...
Let’s do this. Sutton are ball No4, Lincoln ball No7.
The Beeb have 17 supporters (Derby and Leicester are the only sides who have to replay) standing outside in replica shirts and scarves. They look freezing. One lad in a Lincoln shirt says he wants “a big away trip, for the money”. I’ll bet that’s not what he really thinks.
As you’ll no doubt be aware, National League sides Lincoln City and Sutton United are both in the fifth-round draw. It’s an incredible achievement – only seven other non-league sides have reached this stage since 1945. All fell at the fifth-round hurdle, with Blyth Spartans’ replay defeat to Wrexham in 1978 the closest a non-league side have come to the quarter-finals in the postwar era.
The draw is around 20 minutes away, and will be conducted live on the One Show by England manager Gareth Southgate and Robbie Savage. No Rod Stewart, which is a shame.
Ball numbers
1 Tottenham Hotspur
2 Derby County or Leicester City
3 Oxford United
4 Sutton United
5 Wolverhampton Wanderers
6 Arsenal
7 Lincoln City
8 Chelsea
9 Manchester United
10 Millwall
11 Huddersfield Town
12 Burnley
13 Blackburn Rovers
14 Fulham
15 Middlesbrough
16 Manchester City
Preamble
Welcome to a draw that could make or break this season’s FA Cup. This weekend’s slew of shocks has reignited that ol’ Cup magic, but five of the Premier League’s big six are still standing, with a ruthless running aggregate score of 37 goals to five.
Even if, Liverpool aside, the element of surprise hasn’t reached the very top, this has still been a remarkable year for the underdog. The fifth-round draw features two non-league teams for the first time since the Football League began, and just two other top-flight sides (Burnley and Middlesbrough) have secured a place in the last 16.
The perfect draw would thin out the favourites, and give Sutton and Lincoln a shot at further progress. If we end up with a quarter-final line-up of the big five and a few indifferent stragglers, then the party’s over. The balls will fall at around 7.20pm, GMT.
Updated
Relive all of the fourth-round action here, from Bastian Schweinsteiger’s return to Southampton’s limp attempt at progress:
Updated
