Van Nistelrooy, who took charge of United as an interim in 2 victories over Leicester earlier in the campaign, will return in the away dugout for the tie, which will be held over the weekend of 8 February. The fixtures have not yet been selected for TV coverage, but they will primarily be held between Friday 7 and Monday 10 February. During the 3rd round, fixtures were also held on the preceding Thursday and the following Tuesday of the weekend, although the latter were only due to postponements brought on by freezing weather.
Here is the complete draw in full:
- Manchester United vs Leicester City
- Leeds United vs Millwall
- Brighton vs Chelsea
- Preston North End vs Wycombe Wanderers
- Exeter City vs Nottingham Forest
- Coventry City vs Ipswich Town
- Blackburn Rovers vs Wolves
- Wigan vs Fulham
- Birmingham City vs Newcastle United
- Plymouth Argyle vs Liverpool
- Everton vs Bournemouth
- Aston Villa vs Tottenham
- Southampton vs Burnley
- Leyton Orient vs Manchester City
- Doncaster Rovers vs Crystal Palace
- Stoke City vs Cardiff City
Leicester dispatched Queens Park Rangers 6-2 in the last round, but they will likely encounter a sterner test against the Red Devils, who edged out Arsenal in a penalty shoot-out at the Emirates Stadium. Meanwhile, Aston Villa take on Tottenham Hotspur in one of the other top all-Premier League ties drawn out of the hat. Spurs needed extra time to get past non-league Tamworth, who will be ruing the scrapping of replays this season. Brighton & Hove Albion will host Chelsea at the Amex Stadium while Everton and Bournemouth face off in the other top-flight ties.
There’s potential for some giant-killings, with Manchester City, Liverpool, and Newcastle United all drawn away from home at Leyton Orient, Plymouth Argyle, and Birmingham City, respectively. The trio each navigated potential banana-skins in the 3rd round; City hammered Salford City 8-0, the Reds dispatched Accrington Stanley 4-0, and the Magpies came from behind to beat Bromley 3-1.
Despite their excellent form in recent weeks, Newcastle are perhaps the most vulnerable to an upset; they’ve only gone beyond the 4th round of the FA Cup twice in the last 18 seasons, in which time they’ve been knocked out by the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Cambridge United, Oxford United, and Stevenage. Birmingham are unbeaten in all competitions since 23 November, so the League One outfit could be a real challenge for Eddie Howe’s men and it should make for a thrilling contest.
Tickets for the 4th round games will be going on sale in the coming days and weeks, so keep an eye out on Koobit’s FA Cup page for more information and for schedule updates once the kick-off times and dates are finalised.