FA Cup Fifth Round Saturday: Open Thread

The FA Cup tournament is back. This time it’s the fifth round, which should be filled with plenty of drama today for very different reasons.

Kicking off the proceedings is the early match between Luton Town and Millwall. After the horrendous acts of hooliganism that happened in 1985 when rival fans clashed on the pitch, in the stands and on the streets, let’s hope that the 300 policeman in attendance will be able to keep the trouble to a minimum.

Following the match from Luton will be Arsenal at home against Blackburn Rovers. The Gunners will play Thomas Vermaelen in this one, to give him some match experience before next week’s Champions League match versus Bayern Munich. So there certainly is an opportunity for Rovers under manager Michael Appleton to catch Arsenal off guard.

MK Dons against Barnsley will be available on FOX Soccer 2Go for viewers in the United States. But the last match of the day is Oldham Athletic against Everton. Oldham will be hoping to do the Merseyside double after defeating Liverpool in the last round.

Here’s the TV and Internet guide for today’s matches for those of you living in the United States.

Before, during or after today’s matches, post your rants, raves, questions or observations in the comments section below.