Important FA Cup rule change that will please Premier League managers

The FA Cup returns on Friday night when Swindon Town host Premier League runaway leaders Manchester City.

A spate of Covid cases within the City camp adds another layer of the unknown into what already looked like a fascinating contest.

City boss Pep Guardiola is one of 21 cases recorded among staff and players and he will be absent from the County Ground touchline.

For Swindon, the tie represents a significant boost to their coffers. Perhaps unfortunately for the League Two side though, they will not be able to take City back to the Etihad.

That's because new rules were brought into the competition recently by the FA, with replays in the third round being scrapped.

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The decision was made to try and contend with a shoehorned fixture pile-up for many clubs, after a clutch of matches across the top four divisions were postponed due to recent Covid spikes.

In December, an FA statement said: "We can today confirm that replays have been removed in both the third and fourth rounds of the 2021-22 Emirates FA Cup.

"This exceptional decision was approved by the FA Board on Friday December 17, and has been taken in the wider interest of English football to alleviate the possibility of fixture congestion following several postponements in recent days and continued uncertainty ahead due to Covid-19.

"Ties in the third and fourth rounds of this season's competition will be played to a finish on the day, with extra-time and penalty shootouts if required.

"Replays will return up to and including the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup from the 2022-23 season onwards."

Replays were still used in rounds one and two of this year's competition. But with teams from the Premier League and Championship now entering the fray, the decision to scrap them has been made.

Last year, with virtually all games played behind closed doors, the FA Cup abandoned replays altogether.

In the third round in 2020-21, seven third-round fixtures went straight to extra time after the 90 minutes.

Most notably, Everton needed an extra half an hour to beat Rotherham United 2-1 at Goodison Park. Three of the ties required penalties to get a winner.

Whilst Premier League bosses will be thankful for one less game to potentially squeeze in amid a Covid-enforced backlog, teams of lower league and non-league outfits will mourn the loss of a potential big payday.

This weekend's ties see seven top flight teams take on sides in League One or below.

Whilst Swindon against Man City on Friday is being televised, the others are not.

That means the likes of Cambridge and Shrewsbury, who travel to Newcastle and Liverpool respectively, have not only been denied the chance of a potential replay opportunity but they have also missed out on a TV appearance fee to boot.

Teams are allowed to make five substitutions in this season's FA Cup, from a bench of nine.