Manchester City favourites, but FA Cup door wide open for seven others

Manchester City, who won the FA Cup for a seventh time two years ago, travel to Bournemouth on March 30. PHOTO: AFP

UPDATED Mar 29, 2025, 05:19 AM

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LONDON - Manchester City are favourites to win this season's FA Cup and salvage something from a troubled season but the seven other clubs left in a wide-open draw may never have a better opportunity to win the trophy.

None of the five most successful clubs in FA Cup history - Arsenal, holders Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool - are in the quarter-finals.

City, who travel to Bournemouth on March 30, won the Cup for a seventh time two years ago but of the other teams in this weekend's quarter-finals, the most recent winner is Nottingham Forest who went all the way in 1959.

The combined FA Cup triumphs of the eight clubs left is 18 - the lowest since 1997 - and seven of those were for Aston Villa who have not won it since 1957.

Second-tier Preston North End, who host Villa on March 30, are statistically the third most successful FA Cup team left but 1938 was the last time they lifted the trophy.