We are down to the last eight teams in this season’s FA Cup, but which of them will lift the famous old trophy at Wembley in May?
None of the quarter-finalists have won any significant silverware since the turn of the century, and four of them have never won the FA Cup at all, aside from Manchester City, the defending Premier League champion.
“We all saw how much winning the Carabao Cup meant to Newcastle fans after their long wait for a trophy”, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.
This appears to be a big chance for the other teams still playing, and I just hope they try to take it because Liverpool and Arsenal are out and City are clearly not the force they were when they were.
Sutton has made his predictions for all four sixth-round ties and for this weekend’s matches he is up against Brit-nominated DJ and producer Nathan Dawe, who is an Aston Villa fan.
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Villa haven’t won a significant trophy since the 1996 League Cup, but they are on a quest for silverware this year, reaching the Champions League’s last eight, where they play Paris Saint-Germain, and the FA Cup.
“I’m still in dreamland”, Nathan told BBC Sport. “I still can’t believe I’m going to Paris in a few weeks to watch us play in the Champions League quarter-final.”
” Honestly, it has not sunk in. My dad and I only ever talked about these glory days, but now we can experience it together. It’s just unbelievable.
Unai Emery’s accomplishments since taking over in 2022 are “absolutely astronomical,” according to the players and supporters, who are both enthusiastic about his actions.
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” If I’m being honest, I am not sure how confident I am about that, because I think all of the club’s attention is going to be on the Champions League and the FA Cup, “Nathan added.
Even if the financial rewards are insignificant in comparison to playing in the Champions League, winning the FA Cup would be significant. It means so much to Villa fans because hardly any of us are alive who have seen us win it.
The last time we won at Wembley was 1957, so winning would be very special, even for my dad, who was not born.
” I’ve been lucky enough to go there a few times with Villa but other than our play-off win when we got promoted in 2019, it has always ended up in misery. “
FA Cup quarter-final predictions
No replays are available. Games will be decided by extra time and penalties.
Saturday, 29 March
- The final significant trophy Fulham: Never. Never a place
- Best FA Cup contest? 1975 saw Fulham come in second place. Palace: runners-up in 1990 &, 2016
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds broadcast live commentary.
Crystal Palace won at Craven Cottage at the end of February and it is a ground where they have a decent record – they haven’t lost there in their past six visits, since 2005.
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The Eagles are a well-balanced team who seem to be improving all the time under Oliver Glasner – they have lost only two of their past 14 games in all competitions.
Fulham has been difficult to predict this season because they have been less reliable away from home than usual, but they are still leading the charge in the Champions League and are only three points away from City.
Palace are very strong on the road but they have not played for the past three weeks – their game against Newcastle before the international break was postponed because of the Carabao Cup final.
My concern is how the team’s need for a break has affected their momentum, which is something we frequently discuss.
This is going to be a close game, but I actually fancy Fulham to edge it. My gut tells me that Marco Silva’s side have goals in 90 minutes.
I just hope both managers go for it properly, and don’t prioritise next week’s midweek Premier League games]Fulham are at Arsenal on Tuesday and Palace travel to Southampton on Wednesday] instead of this tie.
Fulham and Palace have shown this season that their strongest starting XIs have enough quality to win the FA Cup, especially this year, when the competition seems so competitive.
They are both in a great position to finally win a major trophy, so why not try to make history and give their fans something to celebrate?
The 1991 Zenith Data Systems Cup was Palace’s only previous cup triumph.
I can imagine their fans enjoyed that day a lot, but lifting the FA Cup would be on a different planet, and the same goes for Fulham, who have not even been in an FA Cup semi-final since 2002.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
- The final significant trophy Never, ever. Forest: 1990 League Cup
- Best FA Cup contest? Brighton: runners-up in 1983. Winners of Forest in 1898 and 1959
Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds broadcast live commentary.
Brighton will see this as the chance to get revenge for their 7-0 defeat at the City Ground at the start of February.
After that result, I’m sure some people thought Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler had lost the game, but instead his team have resurrected and have won six games and one draw overall.
Sometimes getting thrashed like that can have a positive effect on a team, and clear the air.
I can recall that Norwich City lost 7-1 to Blackburn Rovers in October 1992, but after Christmas, we had a crate of beer on the coach home to repair the situation. I did get moved up front after that though.
Because of their position in the league, I can see why Nottingham Forest is the only team left in the FA Cup without players resting this weekend.
They play Manchester United on Tuesday and the finish line is in sight for my boyhood team to finish third and secure Champions League football.
It’s disappointing to learn that Chris Wood injured himself while playing for New Zealand this week.
Hopefully it is not serious, but it is a blow for Forest if they are without their main number nine for any length of time.
Without Wood, their game plan won’t change; they will simply sit back and attack on the break, and my guess is that Nuno Espirito Santo will make a few adjustments.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
Sunday, 30 March
- The final significant trophy 1938 FA Cup at Preston. Villa: 1996 League Cup
- Best FA Cup contest? Preston: winners 1889 &, 1938. Winners x7 between 1887 and 1957
Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds broadcast live commentary.
Preston are hard to beat at home and have not lost at Deepdale since 2 November, a run of 15 games.
This season, Paul Heckingbottom’s team will defend well, set up in 3-5-2 formation, and make themselves difficult to break down.
It’s an old football cliche, but in this case it is very true that the first goal will be extremely important.
I always believe that teams can score against Aston Villa, despite the fact that they have some excellent attacking players.
If they go behind, they could have problems but I do feel their quality should see them through – depending on Unai Emery’s team selection of course, with a big league game coming up at Brighton on Wednesday.
Since Martin O’Neill signed me in 2006, Villa have seen their eyes on numerous prizes, something that probably hasn’t happened there.
I’m still backing them here, but it is going to be a cagey game, and they might have to wait to make the breakthrough before a couple of late goals get the job done.
Emi Martinez will also keep a clean sheet, too. His keepie-uppie antics to wind up Brazil while playing for Argentina this week were another reminder of why he is the best goalkeeper in the world. Anyone who can put together such high-quality moments in a game of this caliber deserves praise.
Sutton’s prediction: 0-2
Nathan’s prediction: We are now the favorites for the FA Cup this year, and it seems like we are. I just really hope our schedule doesn’t take too much toll on the players and we fall short because of that, but I am looking forward to the rest of the season for sure.
What should we prioritize even with a top-notch squad like ours given that Wednesday will be difficult for Brighton? That part is down to Emery, and he will probably rest a couple of first-choice players on Sunday, but I would love us to go to Preston, put out a strong team and win comfortably. Even if we don’t make many changes, I am not entirely convinced that will happen, because Preston will force us to do everything.
- The final significant trophy Bournemouth: never. Premier League: 2024
- Best FA Cup contest? Bournemouth: 1957 and beyond, and 2021. City: winners x7 between 1904 &, 2023
This is such a challenging tie.
Bournemouth were the team who started the rot for Manchester City when they deservedly beat them in November, for what was the defending champions ‘ first league defeat of the season.
They were still considered the “mighty City,” the team that had a history of dominating English football and had hardly ever fallen.
Who would have imagined that, five months on, they would have lost eight of their next 19 league games and be in the position they are now, with just the FA Cup left as the only thing they can win?
This competition is significant for City right now because Pep Guardiola feels the need to come home with a piece of silverware after a difficult season.
So, it helps him that the Cherries are not in great form, with only one point from their past four league games, and also that they are without two key defenders here, Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, who are both suspended.
However, City are still far from convincing right now, and it’s difficult to guess who their strongest lineup will be.
Phil Foden’s struggles for England last week were a reminder of how last season’s PFA and FWA Player of the Year has been a shadow of his usual self all campaign, but he is not the only City player to have been well below his best.
Even though City have a real fight to win against Leicester on Wednesday, there is no chance that Pep will save anyone.
Pep always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway, and he has shown that by reaching the semi-finals for each of the past six seasons – something no other team had done before.
City will they once more make it to the last four? Yes… but only just.
There will be plenty of goals coming up, and I can see it being settled in extra-time because Bournemouth are so good with their press that they won’t let City play out of the back.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-3 after extra-time
What was Sutton’s previous technique?
There were eight Premier League games played in week 29, the last set of fixtures before the international break.
Chris and his guest, Divorce singer Felix, have received four accurate results so far, each scoring them both 70 points.
For now, it goes down as a win for the BBC readers – using the most popular scoreline from your predictions for each game, you got five correct results, with one exact scores, leaving them on 80 points.
Due to the Carabao Cup final, the final two games had to be changed.
No-one picked up any points from Liverpool’s draw with Aston Villa, which was moved forward to 19 February, so the weekly winner will be decided when Newcastle host Crystal Palace on 16 April – Felix has gone for a 2-1 Palace win.
Both Chris and Felix incorrectly predicted Liverpool winning the Carabao Cup final when they did it.
After the 29th week, what were the weekly wins, ties, and total scores?
Wins | Ties | Points | |
---|---|---|---|
Chris | 9 | 3 | 2,560 |
Guests | 8 | 3 | 2,220 |
You | 7 | 4 | 2,290 |
2024-25 Guest leaderboard
Points | |
---|---|
Liam Fray | 150 |
Adam F. and Dave Fishwick | |
&, Emma-Jean Thackray | 130 |
Jordan Stephens | 120 |
Dan Haggis, James Smith | 110 |
Paige Cavell | 90 |
Chris Sutton * | 88 |
Coldplay, Clara Amfo, | |
Felix from Divorce, Brad Kella | |
& Dave McCabe | 80 |
You * | 79 |
Rory Kinnear, Jamie Demetriou, | |
Kellie Maloney, Jon McClure, | |
Anton Pearson and Dougie Payne | |
&, Paul Smith | 70 |
Nemzzz, Peter Hooton, | |
Finn Russell &, James Ryan | 60 |
Ife Ogunjobi | 50 |
Eats Everything, Ed Patrick, | |
Mylee from JJFC | |
&, Bradley Simpson | 40 |
Femi Koleoso, Sunny Edwards, | |
Stephen Bunting &, Tate from JJFC | 30 |
* After 29 weeks, on average.
Related topics
- FA Cup
- Preston North End
- Football
Source: BBC
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