Major FA Cup fifth round rule change impacting Manchester City and Luton Town ahead of clash

Redaction Willow Austin with City Xtra
Published on 2024-02-27 13:30:00

Manchester City and Luton Town are gearing up for a significant change in the competition rules as they prepare to face off in the Emirates FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the historic competition since 1969, with Pep Guardiola’s City side traveling to Kenilworth Road to take on the Hatters.

In their previous encounter in December, City emerged victorious with a 2-1 comeback win over Luton, thanks to goals from Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish. This victory added to City’s impressive 17-match unbeaten streak, with 15 wins in their last 17 matches across all competitions, including victories over Huddersfield and Tottenham in earlier FA Cup rounds.

City has been dominant in the FA Cup, winning their last eight matches by a combined score of 25-1 and consistently reaching the quarter-finals under Guardiola’s management. On the other hand, Luton managed to overcome both Bolton and Everton to reach the fifth round and are aiming to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 1994.

Although Luton’s recent form has been inconsistent, they have shown flashes of brilliance against top-six teams this season. However, they face a tough challenge against City, who have not been defeated by Luton since 1988 in the League Cup.

One major change in the competition rules for this round is the elimination of replays. If the scores are level at 90 minutes between Manchester City and Luton, the game will proceed directly to extra time and penalties. This adjustment is part of an effort by the Football Association to streamline the competition.

While City navigated past previous rounds without a replay, Luton required a third-round replay against Bolton. Guardiola’s side will face Manchester United in the Premier League after the FA Cup clash, while Luton has a match against Aston Villa on Saturday.

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