Who Will Reach The FA Cup 2023-24 Semifinals?

We are down to eight teams in this season’s FA Cup—a competition that has already delivered several shocks and surprises. 

• Wolves vs Coventry City
• Manchester City vs Newcastle United
• Chelsea vs Leicester City
• Manchester United vs Liverpool

Liverpool and Manchester City are the top contenders to lift the coveted FA Cup trophy this season. Chelsea and Manchester United are also live and kicking in the competition and cannot be counted out at this stage. In this article, we will see who survives the tough test of the quarterfinals and secures a precious semifinal berth.

The first quarterfinal will feature two underdogs locking horns. Top-flight club Wolverhampton Wanderers will host Championship side Coventry City at the Molineux Stadium on Saturday. After that, the second quarterfinal encounter will feature a clash between the current FA Cup holders Manchester City and six-time FA Cup winners Newcastle United at the Etihad.

On Sunday, a struggling Chelsea side will host the 2015/16 Premier League champions and current Championship table-toppers, Leicester City. Tempers are expected to flare in the last quarterfinal as arch-rivals Manchester United and Liverpool collide at Old Trafford to clinch bragging rights and a precious semifinal spot.

Overall, the entire quarterfinal round is expected to be enthralling and mercurial. There has been no shortage of surprises and shocks in this round of the competition in the past. Many underdogs have slayed giants and advanced to the semifinals. However, we will still analyse the stats and facts and pick the clubs that are favourites to reach the next stage of the FA Cup.

Wolves will thank their lucky stars after drawing Coventry City as their quarterfinal opponents. After winning 12 out of 28 league games so far, the Wanderers are ranked ninth in the league. Facing a tough team at this stage would have spelt the end of their FA Cup run this season, but now that they are facing a Championship side, the hosts may have a chance.

Coventry, on the other hand, will be facing a top-flight club for the first time in the FA Cup this season. In the third round, they thrashed League One side Oxford United 6-2 before beating Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 in a fourth-round replay after the game at Hillsborough ended in a 1-1 draw. Coventry reached the quarterfinals after beating thrashing Maidstone United 5-0.

After beating Brighton in the last round, Wolves were blanked 3-0 in the league by Newcastle United. However, the Wanderers bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Fulham in the last match, and now they are ready to breeze past Coventry. The hosts have lost just four of their 14 Premier League home games this season, and it will be tough for the visitors to get a win.

Manchester City, the rampant Premier League and FA Cup holders will play at home in their quarterfinal encounter against Newcastle United. The injury-riddled visitors would be eager to lift their first FA Cup since 1955, but Pep Guardiola’s men are set to give the Magpies a reality check at the Etihad.

Across all competitions, Manchester City have not lost any of their last 21 matches. The treble winners of the 2022-23 season are also unbeaten in 19 home games so far. The head-to-head record also backs the hosts, as they have won 24 out of the last 30 encounters with the Magpies. However, Newcastle did beat City in the EFL Cup earlier this season.

Newcastle United started the season well, but injuries to several key players replaced consistency with chaos. The club faced multiple defeats in a season where Eddie Howe’s men could have secured a Champions League spot. After a tumultuous run, Newcastle are expected to fall against City at Etihad in the quarterfinals.

There is a lot of history between these two clubs, including past encounters and player transfers. Chelsea have raided the Leicester City squad multiple times to snatch multiple promising players who were pivotal in guiding the club to their maiden Premier League crown back in 2016 under the management of former Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri.

This will be a tough encounter to predict. Chelsea are in the top division but are struggling in the middle of the table. Leicester are in the Championship, but are leading the pack after winning 26 out of 37 league games so far. Their away record is also impressive, as they have lost just three of their 19 games in the second division this season.

Chelsea are struggling to maintain momentum. They came close to winning a trophy this season but lost the EFL Cup to Liverpool in the final. They have a decent head-to-head record against Leicester, winning 13 of the last 23 encounters. However, the visitors will come out all guns blazing, looking to hand Chelsea another defeat at Stamford Bridge this season.

Both rivals are set to be sad at the end of the current season, but for two completely different reasons. Liverpool have already won the EFL and aim to win the UEFA Europa League, the Premier League, and the FA Cup to give Jurgen Klopp the perfect parting gift. Meanwhile, Manchester United could end up trophyless and fail to qualify for the Champions League.

After securing a draw in the high-octane encounter with Manchester City recently, the Reds extended their unbeaten streak to eight games. Klopp’s men have lost just one of their last 20 matches across all competitions. When they hosted Manchester United earlier this season, the match ended in a goalless draw – not an outcome Liverpool would want in this encounter.

Manchester United were on a good winning run before things went downhill again. An injury to their star striker, Rasmus Hojlund, left them struggling in the final third, and the Red Devils have won three out of their last five matches. They have already lost five games at Old Trafford, and losing against their arch-rivals at home would be unacceptable, but it looks unavoidable.