Football writer Ben Bloom looks at the sides in FA Cup fourth-round action this weekend and what to expect.
Premier League clubs are in FA Cup action this weekend with 17 top-flight sides hoping to book a place in the fifth round.
Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham United are the only teams not featuring after they were eliminated in the third round, giving them a rare weekend off to recharge.
Here is everything you need to know about Premier League involvement in the FA Cup fourth round.
FA Cup fourth round fixtures (all times GMT)
Friday 7 February
20:00 Manchester United v Leicester City
Saturday 8 February
12:15 Leeds United v Millwall
12.15 Leyton Orient v Manchester City
15:00 Coventry City v Ipswich Town
15:00 Everton v AFC Bournemouth
15:00 Preston v Wycombe Wanderers
15:00 Southampton v Burnley
15:00 Stoke City v Cardiff City
15:00 Wigan Athletic v Fulham
17:45 Birmingham City v Newcastle United
20:00 Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea
Sunday 9 February
12:30 Blackburn Rovers v Wolves
15:00 Plymouth v Liverpool
17:35 Aston Villa v Spurs
Monday 10 February
19:45 Doncaster Rovers v Crystal Palace
Tuesday 11 February
20:00 Exeter City v Nottingham Forest
When is the fifth-round draw?
The victorious clubs - and, remember, all ties will be decided on the day with no replays in the FA Cup this season - will go into the pot for the fifth-round draw which takes place after Spurs' trip to Villa on Sunday night.
Those fixtures will be held on the weekend of 1/2 March.
Ruud returns
Reigning FA Cup holders Man Utd kick off the action by welcoming former caretaker manager Ruud van Nistelrooy back to Old Trafford with Leicester on Friday.
The Dutchman has not found things easy with the Foxes, winning only three of his 12 matches in charge, but things are not much rosier at Man Utd, who have lost five of their last seven home matches in all competitions.
United navigated the tricky task of seeing off Arsenal in the last round and could hand a debut to new signing Patrick Dorgu, who arrived from Lecce in the January transfer window.
Leicester won the last FA Cup meeting between the two sides 3-1 on their way to lifting the trophy in 2020/21.
There are three other all-Premier League ties over the following days, starting with Bournemouth’s trip to Everton.
The hosts have been rejuvenated since the return of David Moyes as manager, winning their last three Premier League matches to build a buffer between them and the relegation zone.
Victory against a Bournemouth side whose 11-match unbeaten run ended against Liverpool last weekend would see Everton head into next Wednesday’s Merseyside derby off the back of four successive wins.
Debut for new signings
Villa’s match against Spurs could see plenty of new faces. Marcus Rashford is the standout name for the hosts after his loan move from Man Utd, while Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi could also make their club debuts.
Given their prolonged injury crisis, Spurs were also in need of recent reinforcements and brought in Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel, both of whom made their debut in Thursday night's EFL Cup semi-final defeat at Liverpool, and could now also feature at Villa Park.
Unai Emery's Villa have not gone beyond the FA Cup fourth round for a decade when they reached the final against Arsenal in 2015.
The final all-Premier League tie sees Brighton welcome Chelsea on the first of two occasions in less than a week, with the identical fixture taking place in the Premier League on Friday 14 February.
Brighton head into the match off the back of a remarkable 7-0 Premier League loss at Nottingham Forest last time out.
Premier League v League One
Man City were defeated FA Cup finalists last season and a visit to League One Leyton Orient is not quite the simple task it might appear.
Pep Guardiola’s side have lost 11 of their past 22 matches in all competitions – including a 5-1 defeat at Arsenal last time out – while Orient currently occupy a playoff spot in the third tier.
The London side’s involvement in the FA Cup this season has been dramatic, twice winning on penalties and once through an extra-time winner that came after a 99th-minute equaliser from goalkeeper Josh Keeley.
Guardiola may well use the occasion to get new signings Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush up to speed.
Just days after securing a trip to Wembley with victory over Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final, Newcastle continue their domestic cup hunt with a visit to League One side Birmingham.
The hosts are no ordinary third-tier side though, unbeaten in 16 matches across all competitions, top of the table and firmly on track for a return to the Championship. Newcastle had lost two of their previous three games before that Arsenal win.
Liverpool remain on course for a potential quadruple having followed Newcastle into the EFL Cup final with victory over Spurs on Thursday.
They make the long trip to Plymouth to face a team that sits bottom of the Championship and battling to stay in the division. That quest has recently been boosted by Plymouth taking four points from consecutive games against high-flying Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion.
Unbeaten in 19 Premier League matches, Arne Slot’s side are back in action against Everton next Wednesday.
Other ties featuring Premier League clubs
Three relegation-threatened Premier League clubs in Ipswich, Southampton and Wolves come up against Championship teams all currently bidding to replace them in the top flight.
Burnley sit second in the Championship table having conceded only nine goals in 31 matches, and Blackburn, who welcome Wolves, are eyeing up the playoffs in fifth.
Oliver Glasner's Palace travel to the competition’s only remaining League Two side in Doncaster Rovers, who sit second in their division. The two sides last met in the FA Cup fifth round in 2018/19, when the Eagles won 2-0.
Exeter City face the tough prospect of a Nottingham Forest team that are third in the Premier League as they look to go beyond the fourth round for only the second time since 1937.
Fulham have not lost in their last five FA Cup matches against lower-league opposition. They travel to a Wigan side that won the tournament in 2012/13 but are now in the bottom half of League One.
