After a short break, the 2024-25 FA Cup resumes this weekend with the quarterfinals.
Manchester United was eliminated in the previous round, which means there’ll be no repeat for the Red Devils. Who will step up to replace them as the holders of England’s most prestigious domestic cup?
Could it be their neighbours, Manchester City? Could it be second-tier side Preston North End, whose last FA Cup title came in 1937-38? Or maybe it’ll be a first-time winner, such as Brighton & Hove Albion?
Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s quarterfinal round of the FA Cup, which can be seen on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ starting Saturday.
FA Cup on Sportsnet
One of the world's oldest sporting competitions resumes with the FA Cup. You can watch the all the quarterfinals action this weekend on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Broadcast schedule
Single-elimination format
The four matches that make up this round are all single-elimination contests, and not two-legged, home-and-away affairs. If a team loses, it's eliminated.
The 2024-25 FA Cup features a significant change with no match replays in the proper rounds. That means if a game is tied after 90 minutes of regulation time, 30 minutes of extra time will be added. If the match is still tied after that, a penalty shootout will determine the winner.
The field of remaining teams
The quarterfinals feature eight teams across the top two levels of English soccer.
Of those eight teams, seven are from the Premier League, which means this round is highlighted by three matchups between teams in English soccer’s top tier.
The Championship (England’s second division) is represented by Preston North End who defeated third-division outfits Charlton Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers and fellow Championship side Burnley to reach this stage.
Player to watch: Canadian Daniel Jebbison
Fresh off making his international debut for Canada at the Concacaf Nations League, forward Daniel Jebbison will be looking to add to his goal tally in the FA Cup this weekend. Jebbison, a 21-year-old from Oakville, Ont., has scored a pair of goals in this season’s competition, including in Bournemouth’s 2-0 win at Everton on Feb. 8. The Canadian has struggled for playing time in his first Premier League campaign with Bournemouth, so another strong showing in the FA Cup could lead to more opportunities.
“The Premier League is the next level; it's the highest stage you can get," Jebbison told Sportsnet. "But things are going amazing there. It's all a process. Nothing is given in this industry at this level, especially in the Premier League. Every time I've come on, I've impressed. That doesn't mean I start every game, because there's players ahead of me. It's as simple as that, and I have to be patient and wait for my time to come there. It will, eventually.”
Preston North End vs. Aston Villa
Preston North End will carry the flag for the Championship in the quarterfinals in Sunday’s contest (Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, 8:20 a.m. ET) against visitors Aston Villa at Deepdale Stadium. Over the last five seasons, eight Championship teams have reached this stage of the FA Cup but only two have advanced to the semifinals — Coventry City (last season) and Sheffield United (2022-23).
If history is any indication, Preston won’t become the third team to reach the final four. The Lillywhites have lost 18 of their last 19 FA Cup matches against top-flight teams, and they have won just one of their previous 15 encounters in all competitions vs. Aston Villa (with nine draws).
On the bright side, Montenegro forward Milutin Osmajić ranks among the top scorers in this season’s tournament, with three goals.
Bournemouth vs. Manchester City
The quarterfinals wrap up on Sunday (Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, 11:20 a.m. ET), when Manchester City tussles with Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium in another all-Premier League clash. Man City sits fifth in the Premier League table, just four points above Bournemouth, which won the last time these two teams met in November.
Still, you’d have to consider Man City as the favourite going into this contest, as it is the highest-ranked club remaining in the FA Cup after beating three lower-league teams to get to the quarterfinals. The FA Cup is the only piece of silverware that City can win this season before it heads to the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
Erling Haaland has played in only one game in this season’s competition and didn’t score, so it’ll be interesting to see if manager Pep Guardiola turns to the Norwegian forward for this game.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
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