FA Cup: Everything you need to know before the quarter-finals
| FA Cup sixth round |
|---|
| Dates: 27-28 June Coverage: Norwich v Manchester United live on BBC One on Saturday, 27 June (17:30 BST) – as well as Newcastle v Manchester City on Sunday, 28 June (18:30 BST). |
Some 114 days after Manchester United won at Derby County in the fifth round on 5 March, the FA Cup resumes on Saturday with the first of four all-Premier League quarter-finals.
Norwich City’s game with 12-time winners United at Carrow Road (17:30 BST) – a match you can watch live on BBC One – marks the the return of the competition, which was stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The BBC is also showing Newcastle United against holders Manchester City live – one of three ties on Sunday.
So who is left in the famous competition? Which two of the remaining eight teams are seeking to win it for the first time? When is the semi-final draw and when does the final take place? Will there be replays?
Here, BBC Sport tells you all you need to know as the FA Cup gets ready to return.
Why are the quarter-finals in June?
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 4 March and the four ties were originally scheduled to be played on 21-22 March.
They were all postponed after football in England was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The FA announced at the end of May a provisional restart date of June 27-28, with all of this season’s remaining ties to be played behind closed doors.
“The competition has been an integral part of the English football calendar for nearly 150 years, and we’d like to thank the Premier League executive and clubs for their support in scheduling the remaining matches during this unprecedented time,” said FA chief executive officer Mark Bullingham.
| FA Cup prize money | |
|---|---|
| Round | Amount per club |
| Quarter-final winners | £720,000 |
| Semi-final losers | £900,000 |
| Semi-final winners | £1.8m |
| FA Cup runners-up | £1.8m |
| FA Cup winners | £3.6m |
When is the draw and where are the semi-finals and final?
The draw for the semi-finals will take place during half-time of Sunday’s Newcastle v Manchester City quarter-final, which is being shown live on BBC One.
Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, who will be part of the BBC team at St James’ Park, will conduct the draw.
In guidance with social distancing rules, BBC guests and presenter Gary Lineker will be stationed at least two metres apart from one another, and crew members.
Former England captain Shearer will be the only person handling the balls during the draw, and all balls and equipment prior to the draw will be thoroughly disinfected.
The semi-finals, which are scheduled to be played at Wembley, will take place across the weekend 18-19 July, with the final on Saturday, 1 August at Wembley – six days after the final day of the Premier League season on 26 July.
This season’s final will be renamed the Heads Up FA Cup final to raise mental health awareness.
Are there replays?
There are no replays at this stage of the competition.
If games are level after 90 minutes, there will be an additional 30 minutes of extra time.
A penalty shootout will take place to decide a winner if the game is still level at 120 minutes.
Who’s left?
Seven-hundred-and-thirty-six teams entered this season’s competition, with the FA Cup starting on 9 August 2019 with the extra preliminary round.
Two non-league sides – Hartlepool United and AFC Fylde – reached the third round, while the last six non-Premier League sides were knocked out of the fifth round.
Norwich City, the lowest ranked club left, and Leicester City are the only two clubs left yet to win the FA Cup, while Arsenal and Manchester United have won it 25 times between them.
Norwich (hosting Man Utd, Saturday 17:30 BST)
Position – 20th in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 0. Last time reached quarter-finals – 1992. What happened? Norwich City reached the semi-finals for the second time in four seasons after beating Southampton in a replay, before losing to Sunderland 1-0 in a semi-final at Hillsborough.
| How Norwich reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponents | Result |
| Third Round | Preston (away) | 4-2 |
| Fourth Round | Burnley (away) | 2-1 |
| Fifth Round | Tottenham (away) | 1-1 (won 3-2 on pens) |
More of a hindrance than a help? Bottom of the Premier League table with seven matches left, the Canaries are running out of time to save themselves from a quick return to the Championship. However, they are enjoying their best FA Cup run in 28 years. The last time Norwich and Manchester United met in the competition was in the fourth round in 1994, with the Red Devils winning 2-0 at Carrow Road, going on to win the trophy that season.
Key stat: Norwich are winless in their last seven home FA Cup matches (D3 L4) since a 4-1 win against Burnley back in January 2012.
Manchester United (away to Norwich, Saturday 17:30 BST)
Postition – fifth in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 12 times. Last time reached quarter-finals – 2019. What happened? Defender Victor Lindelof was shown a red card as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side lost 2-1 to Wolves at Molineux.
| How Man Utd reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponents | Venue |
| Third Round | Wolves (away) | 0-0 |
| Third Round Replay | Wolves (home) | 1-0 |
| Fourth Round | Tranmere Rovers (away) | 6-0 |
| Fifth Round | Derby County (away) | 3-0 |
A first trophy for Solskjaer? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won the FA Cup twice as a player at United but will the Norwegian enjoy success in the competition as a manager? United have not won a major trophy since 2017 when they secured the League Cup and Europa League in the same season under Jose Mourinho.
Key stat: Manchester United are participating in the FA Cup quarter-final for a sixth consecutive season, although they’ve only progressed to the semi-final in two of the previous five campaigns.
Sheffield United (hosting Arsenal, Sunday 13:00 BST)
Position – eighth in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 4 times. Last time reached quarter-finals – 2014. What happened? The Blades were a League One side when they beat Charlton 2-0 to book a Wembley semi-final against Hull City, which they lost 5-3.
| How Sheff Utd reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponents | Result |
| Third Round | AFC Fylde (home) | 2-1 |
| Fourth Round | Millwall (away) | 2-0 |
| Fifth Round | Reading (away) | 2-1 (after extra time) |
Blades of glory? It’s already been an outstanding season for the Blades on their return to the Premier League as they push for a place in Europe. Will it end with a major trophy? Sheffield United and Arsenal last played in the FA Cup back in March 2005 in a fifth-round replay. After a goalless draw, the Gunners won 4-2 on penalties at Bramall Lane.
Key stat: This is Blades boss Chris Wilder’s 35th match as a manager in the FA Cup proper but only his second against a Premier League side – Sheffield United lost 1-0 to Leicester City in the fifth round in 2018.
Arsenal (away to Sheffield United, Sunday 13:00 BST)
Position – ninth in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 13 times (record). Last time reached quarter-finals – 2017. What happened? Beat non-league Lincoln City 5-0 on their way to winning the competition by overcoming Chelsea in the final, via a semi-final victory over Manchester City.
| How Arsenal reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponents | Result |
| Third Round | Leeds United (home) | 1-0 |
| Fourth Round | Bournemouth (away) | 2-1 |
| Fifth Round | Portsmouth (away) | 2-0 |
Will Gunners secure 14th triumph? No club has won the FA Cup more times than Arsenal. The most recent of their 13 successes came in 2017 when Aaron Ramsey hit a late winner against Chelsea to earn Arsene Wenger his seventh FA Cup triumph.
Key stat: Arsenal have progressed from 13 of their past 15 FA Cup quarter-final matches.
Leicester City (hosting Chelsea, Sunday 16:00 BST)
Position – third in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 0. Last time reached quarter-finals – 2018. What happened? Lost 2-1 after extra time at home to Chelsea, who went on to win the competition.
| How Leicester reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponents | Result |
| Third Round | Wigan (home) | 2-0 |
| Fourth Round | Brentford (away) | 1-0 |
| Fifth Round | Birmingham City (home) | 1-0 |
A first FA Cup final for 51 years? This has been an outstanding season for Leicester even though they have yet to win a game since returning to action earlier this month. The Foxes are well placed to qualify for the Champions League while they are two wins from reaching the FA Cup final for the first time since 1969, when they lost 1-0 to Manchester City.
Key stat: Leicester City are looking to reach the FA Cup semi-final for the first time since the 1981-82 campaign – they have been eliminated in four FA Cup quarter-finals since then.
Chelsea (away to Leicester, Sunday 16:00 BST)
Position – fourth in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 8 times. Last time reached quarter-finals – 2018. What happened? Beat Leicester 2-1 after extra time on their way to winning the competition with victory over Manchester United in the final.
| How Chelsea reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponents | Result |
| Third Round | Nottingham Forest (home) | 2-0 |
| Fourth Round | Hull City (away) | 2-1 |
| Fifth Round | Liverpool (home) | 2-0 |
Trophy for Lampard in his first season? Having eliminated Liverpool in the last round, Chelsea will fancy their chances of ending Frank Lampard’s first season in charge with a domestic trophy. Chelsea have lost only two of their past 20 games against Leicester in all competitions (W13 D5 L2), although they are winless in four against the Foxes (D3 L1).
Key stat: This is Chelsea’s 18th FA Cup quarter-final in the Premier League era (since 1992-93), more than any other side. They’ve progressed from six of their past seven, losing the other in 2016 away at Everton.
Newcastle United (hosting Manchester City, Sunday 18:30 BST)
Position – 13th in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 6 times. Last time reached quarter-finals – 2006. What happened? Lost 1-0 at Chelsea, the result ending captain Shearer’s hopes of winning a trophy with Newcastle.
| How Newcastle reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponents | Venue |
| Third Round | Rochdale (away) | 1-1 |
| Third Round Replay | Rochdale (home) | 4-1 |
| Fourth Round | Oxford United (home) | 0-0 |
| Fourth Round Replay | Oxford United (away) | 3-2 (after extra time) |
| Fifth Round | West Brom (away) | 3-2 |
The Magpies are enjoying their best FA Cup run for 14 years and are unbeaten in three of their past four home games against Manchester City. Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron has scored more FA Cup goals than any other Premier League player this season, netting four times from just six shots on target in the competition.
Key stat: Newcastle United have not reached the FA Cup semi-final since 2004-05 under Graeme Souness.
Manchester City (away to Newcastle, Sunday 18:30 BST)
Position – second in Premier League. FA Cup winners – 6 times. Last time reached quarter-finals – 2019. What happened? Trailed Swansea 2-0 before scoring three times in 19 minutes – including an 89th minute Sergio Aguero winner – on their way to winning the competition.
| How Man City reached the quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponents | Result |
| Third Round | Port Vale (home) | 4-1 |
| Fourth Round | Fulham (home) | 4-0 |
| Fifth Round | Sheffield Wednesday (away) | 1-0 |
Domestic cup double for City? Having secured the Carabao Cup shortly before football was suspended, Manchester City are well placed to wrap a domestic cup double. But how will they cope without prolific scorer Sergio Aguero, who has undergone surgery on a knee injury?
Key stat: Since losing to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup fifth round in February 2018, Manchester City have won their last nine FA Cup matches by an aggregate score of 35-4.
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