Seven Premier League teams are in the FA Cup quarter-finals, with four of them being over 115 years old and competing for their first trophy victory.
The inquiry is: How much should the seven remaining premier clubs care about this historic tournament?
7. Nottingham Forest
If you had given Nottingham Forest supporters the choice between Champions League qualification or a domestic trophy at the season's outset, they likely would have chosen the trophy – once they stopped laughing.
With Champions League participation nearly secured, we believe Forest prefers a visit to the Allianz Arena over Wembley. The proprietors would certainly do so – consider all the cash.
6. Manchester City
This year's FA Cup is notably open and thrilling, making Man City’s anticipated 4-0 victory in the final a disappointing letdown.
Pep Guardiola typically avoids trophyless seasons, but securing City’s spot in next season’s Champions League holds more significance than maintaining appearances.
5. Brighton
Brighton are performing well in the Premier League, firmly placing themselves in contention for Champions League football, which is significantly influencing this ranking, in case you hadn’t noticed.
In 2023, the Seagulls made it to the semi-finals of this competition but were defeated on penalties by Manchester United, whom City triumphed over in the final. That occurred under Roberto De Zerbi, who gained from the groundwork established by Graham Potter, and Fabian Hurzeler will aim to achieve the same as De Zerbi’s successor. Potter turned them into a solid top-tier team, De Zerbi qualified them for Europe, and now Hurzeler can secure a trophy for them.
Once more, being just one point shy of fifth suggests that Brighton likely values the available Champions League positions a bit more, however, this is a team that has no trophies in their 123-year history. This signifies greater importance.
4. Bournemouth
The unlucky team matched up with Man City, Bournemouth can find some comfort in having a home game. When the draw occurred, facing Bournemouth away appeared to be the hardest match for last year's runners-up, but much has shifted since then, and the Cherries' disappointing performance makes this a challenging game, even considering City's weaknesses this season.
Bournemouth has been around for 126 years without winning a single major trophy, which is arguably more understandable than the extended trophy-less periods of Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Once more, restoring their Champions League aspirations is the top concern for the Cherries, but Andoni Iraola will do everything possible to defeat City and secure a spot at Wembley.
3. Aston Villa
Aston Villa is firmly in the discussion of being ‘too large for too long without a trophy’; the team needs this and the supporters deserve it.
Securing the FA Cup would be concrete evidence of their remarkable ascent under Unai Emery, yet we believe that qualifying for the Champions League is the primary focus for the Midlands team. They have reached the quarter-finals of this season's tournament and face French champions and European underperformers Paris Saint-Germain standing in the way of a semi-final. To be honest, if Arsenal manages to beat Real Madrid, you would expect Villa to make it to the final; it would be very Arsenal to follow up eliminating the European champions with a semi-final loss to Emery’s team.
Villa sit in ninth place in the Premier League, but due to the competitiveness of the top half, they are just three points off Man City in fifth, which is likely sufficient for a spot in Europe’s top tournament. Goal difference may be vital, and Villa’s is poor – they stand at minus four, with only the bottom five teams faring worse in this aspect.
The Villans were the fortunate Premier League team paired with Preston North End – the other quarter-finalist and the sole club from the Championship or lower remaining. The match taking place at Deepdale could be challenging, yet you expect Villa to persevere, and just like that, they have secured a date at Wembley. If you reach that point, you might as well win it, don't you think?
2. Fulham
The Cottagers are 146 years old and have never claimed a significant trophy. In reality, they have only made it to two finals. Truly remarkable. It has been 15 years since their painful Europa League final defeat to Atletico Madrid and around 50 since their loss to West Ham in the FA Cup final.
Fulham are competing for the Champions League but likely are the least assured among the unexpected contenders, making the FA Cup potentially their main focus, unlike all other teams in the upper half. We believe that the club’s fans will be very disappointed if this is not Marco Silva’s ultimate goal this season.
1. Crystal Palace
Due to an unexpected beginning to the season, Crystal Palace is regarded as an outsider in the European qualification race, yet they trail Bournemouth by just five points and have a game in hand. The competition for Champions League qualification is so tight that the Cherries have fallen to tenth place despite appearing to be guaranteed a Europa Conference League position at worst just a month prior.
In addition to being in the Not Going To Be Relegated Aren’t Qualifying For Europe sweet spot, the dancing demons of Alan Pardew provide the Eagles with an advantage over their Premier League competitors.
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