Emirates FA Cup Trophy Visits Kettering Town Football Club
The FA Cup fifth round is this weekend (Picture: Getty)
The third round of the FA Cup gets underway this weekend as Premier League and Championship sides gear up to enter the competition.
Lower-league clubs will be licking their lips at the possibility of causing a famous giant-killing to punch their ticket to the fourth round.
Holders Crystal Palace will look to avoid that fate in their tie against non-League club Macclesfield FC, while Arsenal and Chelsea both face away trips to Championship opposition in Portsmouth and Charlton, respectively.
But what happens if a game finishes as a draw after 90 minutes – will it go to extra-time and penalties or head for a replay?
Do FA Cup third round games go to extra-time and penalties or replays?
Get personalised updates on Aston Villa every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
Starting last season, FA Cup replays were scrapped from the first round onwards.
If the score is level at full time, the match will go to extra time. If the additional 30 minutes does not provide a winner then the tie is decided by a penalty shootout.
Crystal Palace v Manchester City - Emirates FA Cup Final
Crystal Palace are the current holders (Picture: Getty)
Why were FA Cup replays scrapped?
The decision to scrap replays was announced in April 2024 after the Football Association agreed a new scheduling deal with the Premier League.
The agreement is in place for the next six years with England’s top-flight set to provide grassroots football with an extra £33 million worth of funding per season.
It is said the decision was made in part because of the expansion of European competitions, with Champions League and Europa League games now being played in January.
In theory, no replays will ease congestion – for both teams playing in Europe and those in the EFL – and support player welfare, but the move has been criticised by clubs outside of the Premier League.
Full FA Cup third-round fixtures
Friday, January 9
19:30: Wrexham vs Nottingham Forest
19:30: Preston North End vs Wigan Athletic
19:30: MK Dons vs Oxford United
19:30: Port Vale vs Fleetwood Town
Saturday, January 10
12:15: Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace
12:15: Everton vs Sunderland
12:15: Wolves vs Shrewsbury Town
12:15: Cheltenham Town vs Leicester City
15:00: Doncaster Rovers vs Southampton
15:00: Ipswich Town vs Blackpool
15:00: Manchester City vs Exeter City
15:00: Sheffield Wednesday vs Brentford
15:00: Fulham vs Middlesbrough
15:00: Burnley vs Millwall
15:00: Salford City vs Swindon Town
15:00: Boreham Wood vs Burton Albion
15:00: Newcastle United vs Bournemouth
15:00: Stoke City vs Coventry City
17:45: Tottenham vs Aston Villa
17:45: Grimsby Town vs Weston Super Mare
17:45: Cambridge United vs Birmingham City
17:45: Bristol City vs Watford
20:00: Charlton Athletic vs Chelsea
Sunday, January 11
12:00: Derby County vs Leeds United
14:00: Portsmouth vs Arsenal
14:30: West Ham vs QPR
14:30: Swansea City vs West Brom
14:30: Hull City vs Blackburn Rovers
14:30: Sheffield United vs Mansfield Town
14:30: Norwich City vs Walsall
16:30: Manchester United vs Brighton
Monday, January 12
19:45: Liverpool vs Barnsley
Replays have provided smaller teams with the opportunity to boost their finances and in some cases have guaranteed their survival, and while the FA have agreed extra payments to compensate clubs, those affected say they were not consulted over the change.
‘The agreement which now sees the abolition of replays from the competition format was agreed solely between the Premier League and FA,’ the English Football League said in a statement when the change was announced.
‘Ahead of the deal being announced there was no agreement with the EFL nor was there any formal consultation with EFL Clubs as members of the FA and participants in the competition.
‘This latest agreement between the Premier League and the FA, in the absence of financial reform, is just a further example of how the EFL and its Clubs are being marginalised in favour of others further up the pyramid and that only serves to threaten the future of the English game.’
File photo dated 21/03/21 of Gary Lineker, who will step down from hosting Match of the Day at the end of this season, the BBC has announced. Issue date: Tuesday November 12, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Lineker. Photo credit should read: Ian Walton/PA Wire
Gary Lineker was in favour of scrapping FA Cup extra time next (Picture: PA)
Could FA Cup extra time be scrapped in the future?
Speaking in January last year, BBC host Gary Lineker suggested that 30 minutes of extra-time could be scrapped next, with ties going straight to penalties if the match ends in a draw after 90 minutes.
The idea of removing extra time is to help teams lower down the leagues who have earned a draw against tougher opposition.
In the FA Cup third round last year, National League side Tamworth held Tottenham to a goalless draw after 90 minutes before Spurs went on to score three goals in extra time to avoid a penalty shootout.
‘I think if they’re going to take away replays they should take away extra-time because it really favours the strong teams,’ Lineker said at the time.
The FA said it planned to review the FA Cup once again at the end of the last season, but no changes were made ahead of this year’s competition.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Brighton boss backs Man Utd star to become a ‘big player’ after Ruben Amorim woes
MORE: Man Utd star ‘might be in contact’ with Marcus Rashford over Barcelona transfer
MORE: John Obi Mikel warns Liam Rosenior will ‘lose’ Chelsea squad if three stars don’t back him
Football Newsletter – In The Mixer
Punchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro's football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.