Do FA Cup fifth round matches go to extra-time or straight to penalties?

The FA Cup fifth round kicks off on Friday as Aston Villa host Cardiff City for a place in the quarter-final stage, as we continue on a season of change in the world’s oldest cup competition

The FA Cup is back – and we’re in store for a thrilling fifth round.

There are just 16 teams left in the competition, all with eyes on taking one step closer to Wembley. As has been the case throughout this season, there are no more replays in the FA Cup, meaning every tie is decided on the night.

That decision was made to cut down on the amount of games which elite-level teams have to play and it’s been speculated that extra-time could also be scrapped to save players an extra 30 minutes. We saw in the Carabao Cup this season that draws in matches before the semi-final phase went straight to penalties.

But no such rule has been applied to the FA Cup. So if, for example, Aston Villa and Cardiff City cannot be separated after 90 minutes on Friday, there’ll still be extra-time at Villa Park before a potential penalty shootout. That stance will disappoint former England striker Gary Lineker, who believes that the FA Cup should scrap extra-time.

After non-league side Tamworth held Tottenham to a 0-0 draw in round three, Lineker explained how he thinks extra-time is advantageous to bigger clubs. Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, the Match of the Day host said: “Personally, I think if they’re going to take away replays, they should take away extra-time.

“Because otherwise, it really favours the strong teams because they’ve got bigger squads, and they can put on their best players in extra-time like Spurs did [against Tamworth]. And they went on to win. So, I think that’s unfair.

“If they’re gonna do away with replays – which I think to be honest, as much as it’s a shame – they need to find another way of supporting teams from lower divisions, lower leagues and non-league. The pyramid needs to help out a little bit more.

Should extra-time be scrapped in the FA Cup? Have your say in the comments section.

“The amount of football that players are playing now, playing replays as well, is tough. So, I understand why they’re doing that – but do away with extra-time as well.”

It’s also been reported that UEFA are considering scrapping extra-time from the Champions League knockout rounds to reduce player workload. But for now, prepare for 30 additional minutes before the possibility of penalties in the FA Cup fifth round.

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