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The FA Cup fifth round takes place this week – with an important change to the rules of the competition.

The old tradition of drawn Cup ties being replayed still applies to the third and fourth rounds, but fifth-round replays were scrapped during the 2018-19 season as part of a gradual slimming down of the tournament.

So every round from the fifth onwards will be decided by one tie, with extra-time and a penalty shootout available to settle drawn games.

The topic of FA Cup replays remains one of some controversy. For clubs participating in European competition after Christmas, the fixture congestion can become almost unmanageable, particularly given that Carabao Cup semi-finals are still played over two midweek legs. Fitting in FA Cup replays can be a challenge.

With the Champions League set to expand into a new format from next season, schedules are becoming even more bloated, and Arsenal’s Mikel Areta joined calls for all replays to be scrapped.

“I think so,” Arteta said in January, when asked whether replays should come to an end. “We will see what happens because with the new format of the Champions League, there will be more games so I don’t know how we are going to fit them in ... That (cancelling replays) has to be considered.”

But for clubs lower down the football pyramid, FA Cup replays have a long history of providing vital life-giving revenues. Burton Albion made around £800,000 from a third-round replay against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2006, which their chairman Ben Robinson described as like “winning the lottery”.

So far, the FA has resisted calls to scrap replays entirely and retains them in the third and fourth rounds, which are the mostly likely stages to see a lower league or non-league side drawn against a Premier League giant.

Fortunately for Arteta, replays did not cause a problem for Arsenal this season, as they were knocked out at the first hurdle.

Full list of FA Cup fifth-round ties

Coventry City 5-0 Maidstone United

Bournemouth v Leicester City – Tuesday 27 February, 7.30pm

Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United – Tuesday 27 February, 7.45pm

Luton Town v Manchester City – Tuesday 27 February, 8pm

Chelsea v Leeds United – Wednesday 28 February, 7.30pm

Nottingham Forest v Manchester United – Wednesday 28 February, 7.45pm

Wolves v Brighton – Wednesday 28 February, 7.45pm

Liverpool v Southampton – Wednesday 28 February, 8pm

Get the full TV schedule here.

When is the FA Cup quarter-final draw?

The draw is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at around 7pm GMT, 30 minutes before Chelsea face Leeds on ITV4.

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