The Draw

After the replays are done and dusted this week, 32 teams will be left to fight for a place in the 5th round of this year’s FA Cup. The matches will take place between the 27th and the 30th of January, and we’ve got some mouth-watering hospitality packages at two of the games, so you can be there to see the action, and bid farewell to the most depressing month of the year in style!

Title Contenders Clash

At the Etihad, its the biggest tie of the round, as the top two teams in the Premier League will do battle for a place in Round 5 on Friday 27th January. Manchester City made easy work of their 3rd round tie against Chelsea, but will now face a sterner test in Arsenal, the most successful club in FA Cup history, winning 14 of the 21 finals they’ve contested. Given the success of both clubs over the years it’s perhaps surprising that they have only faced each other on 5 previous occasions in the FA Cup, firstly back in 1904, when City beat Woolwich Arsenal 2-0 in London.

But Gunners fans can take heart from the fact that this is the only time City have beaten them in the competition. More recently, in the semi-finals of 2017 and 2020, Arsenal have been the victors – despite not winning a league game against City since December 2015. Mikel Arteta will be hoping to put one over his friend and former colleague Pep Guardiola, in what is sure to be a thrilling cup tie. We’ve got a wide range of top hospitality packages available for the match, which you can find here

Across Manchester

Manchester United welcome Championship side Reading to Old Trafford on Saturday 28th January at 8pm, the fourth time in the last ten years that the sides have been drawn together in the  competition. Reading boss Paul Ince played over 200 games for the Red Devils during a 6 year spell at the club, winning the FA Cup twice. This year’s competition is the first for Eric ten Hag, but his assistant Steve McClaren was Sir Alex Ferguson’s right hand man when United lifted the trophy in 1999.

United have won the FA Cup on 12 occasions, a record bettered only by Arsenal, and have been runners up on 8 further occasions, and it’s a tournament in which the club will be desperate to progress, as the new management team looks to add some more silverware to the club’s impressive haul. As for Reading, they have twice reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, in 1927, and again in 2015 when they were beaten 2-1 in extra time by Arsenal. The omens are not especially positive for the visitors… they have faced United 21 times, and only managed to win once, a result that came during their run to the last four in 1927 – and even then it required two replays for the fixture to be decided! Check out our first-class hospitality packages at Old Trafford here or we’ll be happy to talk you through it on the phone if you’d prefer – 01454 201210.

CONTACT THE TEAM

Give Us a call on 01454 201210 or email enquiries@circuithospitality.com to see how we can help you.