Five things to watch out for in the FA Cup fifth round

The Premier League takes a backseat this weekend as the FA Cup resumes with the field whittled down to the competition's last 16 teams. 

The action begins on Friday night at Moliunex and carries through the weekend with a London derby bringing down the round on Monday evening.

DAZN News picks apart what to look out for from the fifth round of football's most famous cup competition. 

A 'This is Wrexham' special 

It's a very real possibility that Wrexham might be mixing with the big boys full-time next season, but Saturday is the first real time the Hollywood royalty of the club meets elite Premier League opponents. 

The Welsh side welcome Chelsea to the Racecourse Ground, in what is bound to be a standout episode of their popular documentary, with all eyes on the tie and the club's famous owners. 

The question is, can the Championship team make a Hollywood story out of the game and actually knock Chelsea out of the competition?

Well, the Red Dragons are in good form, having won three on the bounce as they look to hone in on the second tier's top six, and there will be a feverish atmosphere in what is the club's most high-profile affair since their takeover. 

However, the competition presents the only real opportunity for Chelsea to win a trophy, and they'll have no issue bringing Ryan Reynolds and co back to reality by flexing their Premier League muscles. 

Wrexham AFC

A Clough back in the spotlight 

Once upon a time, the FA Cup was synonymous with the one trophy that the great Brian Clough never managed to win in his illustrious managerial career.

Now, three decades after his retirement, the family name is back in the limelight with son Nigel and Mansfield Town's run to the fifth round. 

Clough junior has made a name for himself in the lower leagues and leads the Stags into this stage of the competition for the first time since 1975, with a tie against Premier League leaders Arsenal. 

It has the feel of a 'proper' FA Cup tie, with the Gunners heading to Field Mill, and dreams from all of Mansfield of upsetting the 14-time winners.

Mikel Arteta is bound to rotate, but surely at this stage of the season, whatever team is thrown together will be too strong for the League One side, right? 

PA

The round's lowest-ranked 

Mansfield aren't the only League One side in the fifth round, after Port Vale upset the odds in midweek and beat Championship Bristol City to book a home tie against top-flight Sunderland. 

Jon Brady's team are currently rock bottom of the third tier, making them the round's lowest-ranked team and reaching this stage of the competition for the first time since 1996. 

It's another game that has everyone reaching for the cliché book and citing the 'magic of the cup' as Vale look to defy what's been a miserable season and try to upset the Black Cats, who look to have Premier League survival already wrapped up ahead of schedule.

If you're looking for an upset, Vale Park might be your best bet. 

Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

De ja vu for Reds 

A trophy win and a top-five finish may be the only thing that could prevent Arne Slot from facing serious questions on his job at Anfield, and that suddenly makes the FA Cup more important than it might have been at the start of the campaign. 

Liverpool's dismal title defence has put the Dutchman under real pressure, and he needs another piece of silverware to salvage something from the season. 

However, the Reds' FA Cup passage is blocked by the team that beat them just this Tuesday night, as they face a trip to Molineux for the second time in four days. 

It was on that evening that the Premier League's bottom side dealt another blow to Slot's Champions League hopes with a stoppage-time winner, and suddenly Wolves doesn't look like the easy away day it did just weeks ago. 

Could Rob Edwards continue the club's upward turn and deal a double-blow to the Premier League champs? 

Newcastle's saving grace

It's been a bewildering season for the Magpies.

A disappointing league campaign sees the club in the bottom half of the table and unlikely to finish in the European slots, yet they've made huge waves in the Champions League as they get set to face Barcelona next week. 

So, what Newcastle will we see in the FA Cup? Well, it needs to be on that's up for the cup, because it will probably be their only route back into Europe this season. 

Unfortunately, standing in their way are Manchester City, who look to bag a trophy themselves after finishing last year empty-handed.

Pep Guardiola may not have the FA Cup in the most prominent place on his wishlist, but that won't stop him and his side from trying to take advantage of a nervy Tyneside on Sunday. 

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