A clash between Arsenal and Manchester United in the sixth round of FA Cup almost looks like it could be an early trophy decider, particularly when you look at the other six remaining clubs and find Liverpool as the only other “big” club. Yet nothing can be taken for granted this season with the BBC very much regretting its decision not to show Bradford City v Sunderland which yielded another big upset for the third tier side. Bradford knocked out Chelsea 4-2 in their previous game and will be hoping the fairytale continues when they face Reading in the quarter-finals.
The FA Cup reached its crescendo in 1988 when around 100,000 fans witnessed Wimbledon shock Liverpool 1-0 in the final. Nowadays, the bigger EPL clubs tend to field weaker teams during the early rounds as they look to manage their busy schedules but we still look forward each round to seeing which Premier League clubs fall by the wayside.
This year’s competition has certainly lived up to those expectations, however the three remaining EPL giants all have good reason to go all out from here in pursuit of some much needed silverware. Arsene Wenger won back some respect when his Arsenal side lifted the trophy last year but could do with another for good measure, United’s Louis Van Gaal still has some convincing to do at a club used to winning titles and Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers desperately wants something to show for the good work he has done on Merseyside.
At least one of those sides won’t make it as far as the semi-finals with United’s clash with Arsenal a mouth-watering prospect, while Liverpool are huge favorites at home to Blackburn. The other all Premier League quarter final sees Aston Villa host West Brom with both sides in need of a confidence boost.