Are there replays in the FA Cup fifth round?

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.”