FA Cup Quarter Finals Preview

The footballing Gods, and Alan Shearer, managed to keep the two Manchester giants away from each other in the draw for the FA Cup Quarter Finals, paving the way for the two sides to potentially meet at Wembley in one of the next two rounds…

But, as Southampton, Tottenham and Leicester discovered in the 5th round, nothing can be taken for granted in this competition, and both City and United face stern tests if they want to progress to the semis.

Manchester United v Fulham

United face fellow Premier League side Fulham, who have surpassed expectation in their latest return to the top flight this season. Marco Silva has put together a spirited squad, fighting for European football rather than survival this season, with significant daylight between them and their West London neighbours Chelsea in the Premier League table.

A year ago this might have looked like a real banana skin, but Manchester United are a different beast under Eric ten Hag, and with the League Cup already behind glass in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet, and the team still in the running in the league and Europe, this is going to be a tough test for Fulham.

Including replays, the two sides have faced off 14 times in the FA Cup, Fulham winning just twice. And you’d have to be of advanced years, or a football historian, to recall the victories in 1905 and 1908… The most recent cup meeting came in the 4th Round ten years ago, when an early Ryan Giggs penalty set the tone for a resounding 4-1 win for United. Two players remain at the club from that day – goalkeeper David De Gea and Phil Jones, while the opposition team featured a future Old Trafford favourite, Dimitar Berbatov.

Fulham haven’t beaten United in any competition since 2009 – a run of 15 games, of which United have won 12. Expectations are high for the Red Devils right now, and it’s difficult to predict anything but a home win in this game, which will take place over the weekend of March 17th/18th.

Manchester City v Burnley

Across Manchester, City will welcome back their legendary Premier League winning skipper Vincent Kompany. Kompany’s Burnley side are flying high in the Championship, and seem nailed on to return to the top league next season, and they’ll be brimming with confidence as they make the short journey South to the Etihad.

These clubs have met just 5 times in the FA Cup, Burnley’s only victory coming in 1931. The last meeting in the competition came in the 4th round in 2019, when City thumped the visitors 5-0, just a few weeks after they’d recorded the same scoreline in the Premier League meeting. Burnley haven’t won against City since 2015, when George Boyd scored the only goal at Turf Moor against a side which included… you guessed it… Vincent Kompany.

Magic of the FA Cup

The FA Cup remains a magical competition, as supporters of Grimsby, Sheffield United and Blackburn will attest, and we’ve got a range of fantastic hospitality packages for both these games in Manchester. Whether you’re after the very height of luxury, or a more informal sports-bar style experience, we can help.

Check out the options at www.vipfootballhospitality.com or give us a call on 01454 201210 and we’ll happily find the best option for you and your group. And if you’re feeling super-confident, we also have Club Wembley packages for the semi-finals and Final which we can discuss with you at the same time!

CONTACT THE TEAM

Give Us a call on 01454 201210 or email enquiries@circuithospitality.com to see how we can help you.