FA Cup news: Cup fever takes hold as Mansfield Town host Arsenal, Wrexham welcome Chelsea

There have been claims for years now that the world’s oldest domestic cup competition, the FA Cup, is losing its magic and significance to those who follow the English game.

However, just this season alone, if you are a football fan from Macclesfield or indeed Mansfield, you may beg to differ.

And after Crystal Palace pulled off a shock to win last year’s final, another surprise might be on the cards, with five EFL clubs still very much in the mix for glory.

The FA Cup final also remains right up there with the Cheltenham Festival and the Silverstone Grand Prix as absolute household names on the British sporting calendar, something that is filled with tradition and admiration for the game we love.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Charlie Fawcett looks at some fifth-round ties that show that this year’s FA Cup is back to its glorious best.

Mansfield Town vs Arsenal

By far the headline fixture of the round is a classic David vs Goliath encounter.

Mansfield Town more than earned this huge day after coming from behind at Turf Moor to beat Burnley with maybe the goal of this year’s FA Cup – a sumptuous Louis Reed free kick.

The Gunners come into it off the back of a 4-0 home victory over Wigan in the previous round, and they will expect to conjure up a similar result here.

Yet, going to a small ground like Field Mill is never easy as the home supporters, who will fill the ground to the rafters, will look to get on top of their visitors right from the very start to prevent a comfortable afternoon from unfolding.

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Wrexham vs Chelsea

The next EFL side to feature have managed to pull out a draw that can only be described as a TV broadcaster’s fantasy.

Disney Plus superstars Wrexham welcome Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea to The Racecourse Ground, giving Wrexham their first competitive test against one of the “big boys” in this current era.

Wrexham’s run this campaign has largely gone under the radar.

They did see off Premier League opposition in round three against Nottingham Forest, but bigger shocks stole the headlines from the Hollywood-owned club.

In terms of the game itself, it is difficult to envisage Chelsea not seeing this as a potential banana skin.

It is certainly a game to be taken seriously as many other sides have learned the hard way when coming to The Racecourse for a big occasion in the FA Cup.

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Port Vale vs Sunderland

On Sunday, three EFL sides will head into games against Premier League opposition with a real feeling that they have a huge opportunity to progress.

Port Vale pulled off an upset of their own on Tuesday night as they saw off Bristol City to find themselves one of two teams outside the top two English divisions to reach this stage.

The Valiants are now in the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 1996, when they were beaten 2-0 by Leeds United.

Despite the positivity at Vale Park, it is hard not to see this as a dream draw for a Sunderland side cemented in midtable and able to put all of their eggs in the FA Cup basket.

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Leeds United vs Norwich City

The final contest of Sunday’s fixture list sees Norwich City travel up to West Yorkshire to take on a Leeds side who are on a rare foray into the latter rounds of this competition.

At this stage of the season, both clubs will see this tie as a massive opportunity to create memories for their supporters – only two more victories are required for a trip to Wembley, which would be a real novelty for either fanbase.

Leeds will, of course, have at least half an eye on the current Premier League relegation battle as they are far from home and hosed.

However, assuming that a couple of league victories are picked up between now and the end of May, there is no reason why they can’t give the cup a proper go.

One more win for Leeds would see them reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2003, so there is sure to be plenty of attention aimed at West Yorkshire.

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