Home of football statistics and historyPremier League Gameweek 29 will be awkward, with the FA Cup quarter-finals depleting this weekend’s league schedule.
Alongside defending champions Manchester City, five other top-flight teams are still in contention for football’s oldest cup title, causing mayhem in the league’s programme.
Championship outfits Coventry City and Leicester City are the only lower-league sides to have got this far in the tournament.
Everything is set for a spectacle after the FA announced match officials for the upcoming fixtures as we look at the match-ups.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Coventry City – Saturday, 12:15 GMT
Molineux forms the backdrop for this all-Midlands affair as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ quest for their first FA Cup triumph since 1959/60 pits them against Coventry.
Gary O’Neil’s men have proved their cup credentials with a gutsy 1-0 win against fellow Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, which forms part of their impressive run of four wins in their last five games.
After making their fans await home outings with trepidation with back-to-back defeats at the start of February, Wolves have turned Molineux into a fortress again.
Wolves’ three successive home triumphs across all competitions paint a bleak picture for visiting Coventry, whose road to the quarter-finals has been relatively straightforward.
Saturday’s West Midlands derby will be their first FA Cup assignment against a top-tier side this season, though they can draw confidence from winning three of their four competitive clashes in the build-up.
Manchester City vs Newcastle United – Saturday, 17:30 GMT
After maintaining a relevant status in a breathless Premier League title race with a 1-1 draw at Liverpool last weekend, Man City’s bid for another ‘Treble’ faces another daunting task.
Despite Newcastle United’s form woes and long-standing struggles in this fixture, the Magpies will touch down at the Etihad Stadium heavily motivated to disrupt the Cityzens’ lofty ambitions.
Nine consecutive defeats at this venue, stretching back to October 2014, perhaps best illustrate the visitors’ ‘underdog’ status in this contest, and it gets worse.
Pep Guardiola’s high-flyers are unbeaten in their last 21 competitive games, increasing the likelihood of avenging a narrow 1-0 loss at St James’ Park in this season’s League Cup.
Most of Guardiola’s star-studded squad will represent their countries at the upcoming 2024 European Championship, probably occupying starring roles in top continental sides aiming to shine in Germany.
But before reporting for international duties, they’ll look to add more silverware to their glittering trophy cabinet, starting with defending the FA Cup title for the first time in the club’s history.
Chelsea vs Leicester City – Sunday, 12:45 GMT
It feels like it’s been ‘one step forward, two steps back’ for Chelsea this season, but they could still salvage another embarrassing campaign with an unlikely FA Cup triumph.
Standing between manager Mauricio Pochettino and his first trophy on English soil is Leicester, a side the Blues faced in the 2021 showpiece and lost.
Chelsea have emerged victorious from four of their five encounters against the Foxes since that infamous Wembley collapse and seem well-positioned to maintain that eye-catching run here.
Pochettino’s troops have claimed two identical 3-2 wins at Stamford Bridge ahead of this showdown, including a last-gasp FA Cup victory against Leicester’s Championship rivals Leeds United.
Manchester United vs Liverpool – Sunday, 15:30 GMT
The latest chapter of the fiercest rivalry in English football sees familiar foes lock horns at Old Trafford in the most heavily anticipated game this weekend and the FA Cup quarterfinal most likely to be watched live this weekend.
For Manchester United, this is the last chance to avoid another trophyless campaign, while for Erik ten Hag, this is an opportunity to silence his critics.
After an early Champions League exit and a busted League Cup title defence, the Red Devils have no other avenues to a piece of silverware except for the famous FA Cup.
However, the draw has not been kind to United as they take on a rampant Liverpool side bidding to replicate Man City’s last season’s treble-winning campaign in Jurgen Klopp’s final months in charge.
Despite being firmly embroiled in the Premier League title battle, the Reds have taken other competitions seriously, as evidenced by the recent League Cup success and an 11-2 aggregate win against Sparta Prague in the Europa League.
Whoever comes out on top of this mouth-watering tie will probably boast the most realistic chance to dethrone Man City.
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