City set replay dates

Manchester City have confirmed their FA Cup fifth-round replay against Aston Villa will be played on either March 14 or 15.

The tie had originally been pencilled in for March 8, but with only two draws among the eight ties, the game will now been shown live on TV.

Broadcasters are eager to avoid a clash with key Champions League and UEFA Cup ties the previous week, so have opted to push the Eastlands encounter – made possible by Micah Richards’ dramatic injury-time header – back.

The winners of the tie will have little time to prepare for their sixth round meeting with either Bolton or West Ham.

That game is scheduled for the following week and, due to the European commitments of Chelsea and Liverpool and the already allocated Sky TV slots both before and after the tie, seems almost certain to be staged on Monday, March 20.