FA Cup Fifth Round Draw in Full and Games to Watch

by Luke Andrews, 31 January 2023

The draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup took place on Monday night. Highlights include Manchester United v West Ham United and Bristol City v Manchester City. Join us as we react to the draw and highlight games to watch.

A football player with the FA Cup logo

The FA Cup is reaching the business end with just three more rounds of fixtures before the showpiece final at Wembley on June 3, 2023. The draw for the Fifth Round has been made, and ties will be played midweek due to the impact of the first-ever winter World Cup. We highlight games to watch and bring you the fifth-round draw in full.

Manchester United v West Ham United

The FA Cup is a competition in which Manchester United enjoyed success, especially during the reign of Alex Fergusson, who was given extra time at the club when he won the famous trophy in 1990. He won the cup five-time during his time at the club. The last time the Red Devils won the FA Cup was in 2016, under Louis Van Gaal, but it wasn’t enough to save his job as he was sacked days later.

Manchester United beat Premier League opposition Everton 3-1 in the third round and overcame Championship side Reading in the fourth by the same scoreline.

West Ham’s wait for FA Cup glory has been much longer. The three-time winners won the competition in three separate decades, the 60s (1964), the 70s (1975) and most recently, 1970. However, they were runners-up in 2006. The cup will be a welcome distraction from their difficult Premier League season in which they sit in 16th, just three points from bottom club Southampton. A good cup run could save David Moyles’s job as the former Everton and Manchester United boss is currently the bookie’s favourite to be sacked.

West Ham also faced Premier League opponents in the third round, overcoming Brentford 0-1. They beat League One Derby in the fourth round.

Southampton v Luton Town or Grimsby Town

Sometimes the FA Cup can be a welcome distraction for a club’s struggle in their domestic league, and that’s undoubtedly true for Southampton, the club that currently sits at the bottom of the Premier League table.

Southampton reached the fifth round by beating fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace in the third round (2-1) and Championship strugglers Blackpool (2-1), a game we featured in this week’s betting week in review. As Southampton are guaranteed to face lower-league opposition in the next round, Saints fans will be confident their team will reach the quarter-finals.

Grimsby of League Two or Luton Town of League One will be the club the Saints face, but first, the two must meet in a replay at Blundell Park on February 07 (Tuesday night) after the pair took part in a thrilling 2-2 draw.

The bookmakers believe Luton will meet Southampton as they price Grimsby at 3/1 to win the replay. However, Luton are heavy favourites with bet365 at 5/6 and the draw, which would lead to extra time and possible penalties, is priced at 11/4.

Other notable ties include Championship side Bristol City having a home tie against the Premier League champions Manchester City. Leicester City can forget their league troubles with a home tie with either Blackburn Rovers or Birmingham City from the Championship. Stoke City will face Brighton, who are flying high in the Premier League. Wrexham or Sheffield United have home advantage against Tottenham.