Premier teams hold edge

Nine Premier League teams and seven from the Football League will be involved in the fifth round of the FA Cup this weekend.

Holders Chelsea are the only team from the 'top four' still in contention following the elimination of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

There are five teams from the Championship in the fifth round while League One and League Two have a member each.

This weekend, there are two all-Premier League clashes in store with Manchester City hosting Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers facing Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini is relishing his team's challenge in the cup. The Italian made his debut in the league clash against Stoke at home which the Citizens won 2-0.

Tony Pulis's Stoke ousted Arsenal (3-1 at the Britannia Stadium) in the previous round.

On the same night, the Citizens beat Scunthorpe 4-2 at Eastlands. On that occasion, Robinho made his last showing for Man. City and netted one of the goals before joining Santos on loan until the end of the season.

In past competition duels, Manchester City lead 3-2.

1975-76 (fourth round): Stoke (home) 1-0
1972-73 (third round): Man. City (home) 3-2
1933-34 (quarter-final): Man. City (home) 1-0
1927-28 (fifth round): Stoke (away) 1-0
1910-11 (first round): Man. City (away) 2-1

At the Reebok Stadium, Bolton, who saw off Sheffield United in round four, play Tottenham who reached this stage of the competition after beating Leeds in a replay.

Jermain Defoe's hat-trick against Leeds took his total to four - just one goal behind Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford in the competition's scorers' list.

In past head-to-head duels in the FA Cup, there were four occasions when the tie went into a replay. Spurs lead Wanderers 3-2 and the encounter that is most mentioned is the one of 1934-35 that required two replays (1-1, 1-1) with Bolton finally emerging triumphant at White Hart Lane 2-0 in the fifth round.

Chelsea will meet a Championship side for the third consecutive time, following victories over Preston (away 2-0) and Watford (home 5-0). This time they will cross swords with Cardiff at Stamford Bridge.

In previous rounds, Cardiff knocked out fellow Championship outfit Leicester (home 4-2) and Bristol City (home 1-0 in a replay).

Chelsea have more than a score to settle with Cardiff who won both past FA Cup meetings between these two teams.

Season 1926-27, however, will remain a memorable one for the Bluebirds after beating Chelsea 3-2 in the quarter-finals before going on to become the first club to take the famous FA Cup out of England, having the better of Arsenal 1-0 in the final.

Another interesting tie this weekend is the south-coast derby between Southampton and Portsmouth at St Mary's Stadium.

Portsmouth boss Avram Grant has high hopes of reaching the quarter-finals with Pompey badly needing a shot in the arm to survive both on and off the field.

Southampton, managed by Alan Pardew, are currently in a mid-table position in League One but still looking to push themselves into the play-offs zone.

Southampton always emerged victorious in the four times the two rivals clashed in the FA Cup, the latest being in the third round of the 1995-96 competition, 3-0.

The lowest ranked team still in the FA Cup are Notts County of League Two. The Magpies play at Fulham tomorrow.

Caretaker boss Dave Kevan claimed another feather in his cap when leading the side to victory in the previous round against Premier League side Wigan, 2-0.

Crystal Palace knocked out Wolves in the previous round. Tomorrow, they host another side from the Midlands, Aston Villa.

Palace are hoping that progress in the FA Cup this season will perhaps entice a reliable consortium to take over the troubled Selhurst Park club.

Birmingham, who eliminated Everton at Goodison Park, will tackle neighbours Derby at Pride Park.

At the Madejski Stadium, Reading take on another Championship side, West Brom. The Royals had a remarkable run so far, collecting the scalps of Liverpool and Burnley. Yet, their number one target must be to emerge from a precarious position in the league standings.

West Brom, on the contrary, are fighting for promotion to the Premier League.

This season, the duo met at the Hawthorns and the home side emerged victorious 3-1.