The FA Cup has reached the last eight and with four of the teams remaining having never lifted this famous trophy, a big upset could be on the cards.
Fulham host Crystal Palace in Saturday’s opener before Brighton take on Nottingham Forest.
Sunday sees the only Championship side left in, Preston, welcome Aston Villa before Bournemouth visit last year’s runners-up Manchester City.
Here we have picked out the best bets from an action-packed weekend.
- DRAW - FULHAM VS CRYSTAL PALACE
- BRIGHTON TO WIN
- ASTON VILLA TO WIN TO NIL
- BOURNEMOUTH DRAW NO BET
Fulham vs Crystal Palace
Of the four teams remaining in this year’s competition who have never won the FA Cup, Crystal Palace and Fulham are two and they will lock horns at Craven Cottage.
These two have both had very solid Premier League campaigns. Fulham are up to eighth in the Premier League table and currently sit just three points behind fifth-placed Manchester City, while Palace have won 10 of their last 13 games in all competitions and are nearing a spot in the top half.
The Eagles have had a fairly straightforward path through this competition, beating Stockport and Doncaster comfortably before navigating a tricky derby clash with Millwall, winning 3-1.
Fulham beat lower-league opposition in the shape of Watford and Wigan before slipping past Manchester United on penalties.
The Cottagers will be favourites for this clash but Palace have lost just two of their last 14 games in all competition and this pair may be tied in regular time.
Four of the last seven head-to-heads have ended in stalemate and this could well be another.
DRAW
Brighton vs Nottingham Forest
To stress how unusual this year’s FA Cup winner could be, the last of these eight teams to win the competition outside of Manchester City was Nottingham Forest in 1959.
The Tricky Trees face a tough test if they are to repeat that success this year as they take on a Brighton side who have been transformed since losing 7-0 to these opponents in February.
Since that drubbing, the Seagulls have won six of their seven games in all competitions and two of those victories came in the FA Cup, against Chelsea and EFL-Cup winning Newcastle.
As for Forest, they beat Luton in the cup before needing penalty shootouts to get past both Exeter and Ipswich.
Chris Wood, who has netted 18 Premier League goals this season, is a big injury absence for the visitors and that is a major blow to their chances.
Forest have won only two of their last seven games in all competitions and may come up short against a Seagulls team transformed by their chastening defeat to the Tricky Trees last month.
BRIGHTON TO WIN
Preston vs Aston Villa
Being the last Championship team left in the FA Cup quarter-finals is a major achievement for Preston, particularly as they have failed to make a major impact in the second tier this season.
North End are in the bottom half of the table and their weaknesses may be exploited by a high quality Aston Villa side.
Unai Emery’s men have already dumped two Premier League teams out of this competition, West Ham and Tottenham, and saw off Cardiff with a minimum of fuss in the last round when winning 2-0.
The Villans are also through to the Champions League last eight after seeing off Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate in the last 16, capping a run of five victories from their last six matches.
Preston on the other hand have picked up just two wins in their last eight matches in all competitions and their struggles in front of goal could hold them back in this one.
Only four teams in the Championship have scored fewer goals than Preston’s 39 in 38 games and they may be shut out by Villa.
Paul Heckingbottom’s men beat Charlton and then Wycombe on penalties before a 3-0 victory over rivals Burnley in the last 16.
However, that run could be set to come to an end in this one with Villa backed to win to nil.
ASTON VILLA TO WIN TO NIL
Bournemouth vs Manchester City
Arguably the most intriguing tie of the quarter-finals comes on Sunday night as Bournemouth host Manchester City.
The visitors have reached the last two finals of this competition, beating rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the 2022/23 final before losing by the same scoreline to the same opponent last term.
By contrast this would be the first major trophy in Bournemouth’s history but there has not been much between the two teams this season.
The Cherries currently sit just four points behind the Citizens in the Premier League table and were 2-1 winners when these two met earlier in the campaign.
Results have taken a little turn for Andoni Iraola’s team recently but the visitors have not been much better, losing five of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Pep Guardiola’s side have had as straightforward a run through this competition as they could hope but weren’t without hairy moments, conceding first against Leyton Orient and Plymouth before winning. Before that they had racked up an 8-0 win over Salford in the third round.
Bournemouth’s intense pressing approach could expose the lack of physicality in this City side and they are fancied in the draw no bet market.
BOURNEMOUTH DRAW NO BET
