Watford have been drawn away to Premier League side Fulham in the third round of this season’s FA Cup.

Ties will be played on the weekend of Saturday January 11, but with multiple games likely to be moved due to TV coverage and for other reasons, it’s unclear at this stage when the Hornets will play.

There are no replays from the first round proper onwards this season, so the game will go to extra-time and penalties if necessary.

Should the Hornets proceed then the fourth-round ties will be played on the weekend of Saturday February 8, 2025.

That would mean the trip to Sunderland in the Championship would need to be rearranged – the same would happen if Sunderland get past Stoke City as well.

If both Watford and Sunderland lose in the third round then the league game at the Stadium of Light will kick-off at 12.30pm – not the most edifying of prospects for traveling fans.

However, should FA Cup progress mean the game is rearranged then it’s likely the league game will be played in midweek.

So, Watford fans are set to face either a very early start or a very late return home when they travel to Sunderland.

The fifth round of the FA Cup is due to be played on the weekend of Saturday March 1, should the Hornets get that far.

Currently, they have a league trip to Stoke City on that date.

Last season, Watford reached the fourth round of the competition for the first time since they got to the 2019 final.

It was hard work though as they came from behind to beat non-league Chesterfield 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Tom Dele-Bashiru.

They were then beaten by Southampton in a replay after drawing the first tie at Vicarage Road.

The Hornets have only gone beyond the Fourth Round twice since 2009 – when they reached the final in 2019, and when they lost to Crystal Palace in the 2016 semi-finals.

Watford head coach Tom Cleverley has twice been a beaten finalist.

He was in the Watford team hammered 6-0 by Manchester City in 2019, and played for Aston Villa when they suffered a 4-0 beating at the hands of Arsenal in the 2016 denouement.