A place in the final four of the FA Cup, and a trip to the iconic Wembley Stadium, will be up for grabs when the quarterfinals are played on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March 2025.
Saturday’s first match is a London derby between Fulham and Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage,as two teams which have never won the FA Cup (they have been runners-up three times between
them) look to move one step closer to a triumph that would forever put them into immortality.
“m getting a bit older, the only chance for us to watch some football from different countries in Portugal, the main one was the FA Cup to be honest,”said Fulham manager Marco Silva.
“The chance for us was to see some important games live on TV from the FA Cup, semifinals for sure, finals for sure. We grew up watching the competition. I know what it means, I know that it's
the oldest competition in the world.”
Saturday’s second clash comes from the AmEx Stadium, as Brighton Hove Albion host Nottingham Forest. Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler has already made a hugely positive
impression on the South Coast club, and leading them into the semifinals of the FA Cup would only add to his burgeoning reputation.
“The fans can dream and we can work,” said the American-born German tactician. “We can only win something if we stay together, and thats what we must focus on. In football, there is not a lot of
momentum but we have to understand why its like this in the moment.”
After making waves against Manchester United in the 5 th Round of the FA Cup, Fulham will now turn their attention to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals, with their next fixture set to commence at
Craven Cottage on Saturday, 29 March.
As the oldest football competition in the world, the FA Cup continues to keep fans glued to their screens. Nigerian star Calvin Bassey was a star turner during his side’s 4-3 win on penalties against the
Red Devils in the 5 th Round of the FA Cup earlier this month.
Bassey opened the scoring in the 46 th minute, which was then cancelled out by Bruno Fernandes in the 71st minute. However, Fulham managed to hold their nerve by bagging a 4-3 victory via spot
kicks.
Reflecting on his performance, which happened to be his FA Cup debut, Bassey felt as though Fulham owed their fans a decent performance.
“It was a good team performance and a good individual moment,” Bassey said.“Our last performance at home [against United in the Premier League, we controlled that game ,
we should have won that game, let’s be honest “We owed them, I wouldn’t say revenge but we owed them a performance and our fans as well.”
Sunday’s early match sees Preston North End of the Championship (the only team from outside the top tier remaining in the competition) host Aston Villa at Deepdale.
“I hope the fans are as excited about it as me,” said Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom. “WhatI d say to them is you need to be here to be part of the journey, otherwise you ll not know. If you are
there at the weekend and we win, then you will be waiting just like us to see what’s next.”
The fourth and final quarter comes from Dean Court, known as the Vitality Stadium, as AFC Bournemouth host Manchester City.
The Cherries beat the Citizens when the teams last met (in a Premier League clash in November of 2024) but manager Andoi Iraola admits that doing it a
second time will be difficult.
“I think there was probably only one situation worse, that was City away,” admitted the Spaniard.
“At least we have to play them at home – but it’s a big challenge for us. It’s a big opportunity and we will give our best, and see if it’s enough to be in the semifinals.”
Courtesy :Showmax
