The FA Cup resumes this season with Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Aston Villa still in the hunt as Alan Shearer casts his eye over the quarter-final ties
Alan Shearer believes FA Cup favourites Manchester City will edge out Bournemouth to keep alive their last hope of silverware. And the Premier League legend has warned Pep Guardiola’s side over the importance of salvaging an otherwise disappointing season with a trophy.
Domestic football returns following the international break with the quarter-finals of the FA Cup kicking things off, albeit there is a lack of the normal established names you’d expect to see.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are all out of the tournament – the Reds famously beaten by Plymouth. It has left one of the more open FA Cups in recent years, albeit there is only one non-Premier League side still in the hunt.
Preston are left to fly the flag for the Football League and they’ll host Aston Villa. Plenty of this season’s overachievers, Nottingham Forest among them, are still in the hunt and will be high on confidence with a win over City their last scalp just weeks ago.
Leicester are the only team outside of the traditional ‘top six’ to claim the FA Cup over the past decade but the one-off nature of the tournament has seen the likes of Wigan and Portsmouth also taste success.
READ MORE: Arne Slot’s five admissions on Trent Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool saga turns uglyREAD MORE: Man Utd weigh up paying MORE than top target’s release clause after Ruben Amorim steps in
Shearer was a losing finalist in consecutive years with Newcastle in the late 1990s. He has just seen his beloved side win the Carabao Cup, but they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton in the last round with the Seagulls another of the teams believing they have a shot.
Fulham v Crystal Palace
The Cottagers beat holders Manchester United on penalties at Old Trafford in the last round and are having a strong season themselves. They have a London derby to negotiate before they can plan for a possible semi-final at Wembley.
Shearer was present when Marco Silva’s side downed the Red Devils in their own back yard and believes they will edge their tie. The Premier League great told Betfair: “I was at Old Trafford when Fulham beat Man United so I’m going to edge for a Fulham win. It may be a long afternoon but I’ll go with Fulham, just.”
Brighton v Nottingham Forest
This contest is finely poised, even if the recent results may say otherwise. In one of the season’s crazy results Forest smashed the Seagulls 7-0 at the City Ground earlier this year and continue to eye a Champions League spot.
That said Brighton too are not far off and they’ll enjoy home advantage. The two teams played out a 2-2 draw at the Amex earlier this season but Shearer is edging towards the Nottingham outfit. He said: “This is such a tough tie to call. It really could go either way. I think the position Nottingham Forest are in, going for Champions League football and with the way they play, I’m going to go for Forest to get through.”
Preston v Aston Villa
This would be a major shock if the hosts were to win at Deepdale. Villa have not shown the Premier League form they did last season but they’ve excelled in the Champions League and knocked off Tottenham earlier in the season with Shearer backing a comfortable win for the top flight outfit.
He said: “I think Preston have done incredibly well to get this far but they’re coming up against a quality side who’ll be full of confidence and who made some quality signings. They’re looking really impressive so I’m going to go for Villa in this one.”
Bournemouth v Man City
City have reached the last two finals, losing to their neighbours last season, but they’re seeking to wrestle back their crown. They’ve already been beaten down on the south coast this season and Guardiola’s side are by no means tearing up trees this term.
Shearer said: “Another tough one to call. I think Bournemouth will fancy their chances against Man City but I think because it’s the last chance to win a trophy this season, I’ll go for Man City.”
He added: “It’s hugely important for them this season because of what they’ve done in the past. I heard Pep say about the number of trophies they’ve won and where they are now compared to where they were but this is a club that’s built on winning trophies so for them not to win one would be a surprise – that’s how successful they’ve been.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
