- FA Cup semi-finals staged at Wembley this weekend
- Crystal Palace and Aston Villa lock horns on Saturday
- Nottingham Forest and Man City follow on Sunday
An unusual line-up of protagonists graces this year's FA Cup semi-finals.
Both ties will be staged at Wembley Stadium this weekend and several surprise challengers have made it to the last four. Manchester City, who have reached the last two finals, are the only traditional 'big six' club that remain as the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea suffered early exits.
Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace make up the rest of the cast, with the latter aiming to win the competition for the first time in their history. All four semi-finalists will be desperate to book a return trip to Wembley for the showpiece event in mid-May.
Here are a predictions for the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Saturday 26 April
Crystal Palace and Aston Villa both reached the FA Cup final in the mid-2010s but neither were victorious in battles with the country's big dogs. They will be aiming to go a step further this year.
As mentioned, the Eagles have never triumphed in the world's oldest cup competition despite two runs to the final, and will be perceived as the underdogs this weekend. Their recent form has been shaky but a morale-boosting draw at Arsenal in the Premier League midweek will do them no harm ahead of their Wembley excursion. They can also take confidence from beating Villa 4-1 at the end of February.
Unai Emery's side suffered late heartbreak midweek as they seek Champions League qualification but can make amends on Saturday. The seven-time FA Cup winners haven't tasted glory in the competition since 1957 and have lost two finals in the 21st century, but their current crop are capable of beating anybody on their day.
Kick-off time (BST) | Fixture | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
17:15 | Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa | 1-2 |
Sunday 27 April
Man City are the favourites for this year's crown and their recent resurgence only strengthens their appeal. The Cityzens will not have it easy, however, and must overcome the dogged Nottingham Forest this Sunday.
City, who have won the competition twice under Pep Guardiola, have hit form at the right time as they seek FA Cup salvation at the end of a tumultuous term, but were beaten by Forest in the Premier League back in early March. Their defensive frailties and extensive injury list continue to set them back.
Forest have proven immensely difficult to beat under Nuno Espirito Santo and will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds and reaching a fourth final in the competition - and a first in 34 years. Their resilience has propelled them up the Premier League table this term and they could finish the campaign having earned Champions League qualification and won the FA Cup.
Kick-off time (BST) | Fixture | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
16:30 | Nottingham Forest vs Man City | 1-2 (AET) |