While the Premier League takes a break in the first weekend after the international break, the FA Cup takes center stage in England as the last eight teams left hope to book a spot in the semifinals at London’s Wembley Stadium.
There’s plenty of intrigue with this match of quarterfinal matchups since Manchester City, the 2022-23 champions, are the only team from England’s traditional top six left in the competition. It makes Pep Guardiola’s side the clear favorites to win the whole thing, especially since this competition is likely to be their only opportunity to win a trophy this season but considering City’s struggles over the course of this season, the rest of the field might like their chances. Six other Premier League sides are in the running for the FA Cup title – Fulham, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Bournemouth – and each hopes to follow in Newcastle United’s footsteps as an unlikely but deserving winner of one of England’s cup competitions. The other team to join this group in the quarterfinals is Preston North End, the 14th place team in the Championship who are on their own Cinderella run as the last lower-league team standing.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning into this weekend’s FA Cup action.
FA Cup quarterfinal schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
Saturday, March 29
- Fulham vs. Crystal Palace, 8:15 a.m. (ESPN+)
- Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Nottingham Forest, 1:15 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, March 30
- Preston North End vs. Aston Villa, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
- Bournemouth vs. Manchester City, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
Matchup of the week
It is always great news when a true underdog makes a deep run in a cup competition, so Preston North End’s game against Aston Villa on Sunday will be worth keeping an eye on. Villa are naturally the favorites in this one and have enjoyed some highs this season, including a spot in the UEFA Champions League’s final eight, but perfection has not exactly been a strong suit for them. They currently sit ninth in the Premier League and have just two wins in their last eight, so there may be some vulnerabilities there that mean that you can see the upset – if you squint hard enough, that is. If Villa come out with the expected victory, though, it makes them one of the more formidable contenders to win the whole thing, considering the team’s steady upward trajectory under manager Unai Emery.
Upset watch
Manchester City may be the obvious choice to collect winners’ medals when all is said and done, but nothing has been particularly straightforward for the serial champions this season. It does not help that they were drawn against Bournemouth in the quarterfinals, who are in the midst of an impressive season of their own. The Cherries beat City 2-1 in November, towards the beginning of City’s lengthy winless run last fall, and will be eager to repeat that showing. If all things go well for Bournemouth, it could serve as an audition of sorts for manager Andoni Iraola, who is now reportedly being linked to Tottenham Hotspur with Ange Postecoglou sitting on the hot seat after an underwhelming domestic campaign that currently sees them in 14th place in the Premier League.
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