This weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals present a unique opportunity for seven of the eight teams to end their long waits for a trophy.
Manchester City are the only club still in the competition who have lifted football’s oldest cup trophy in the last 40 years.
Half of the FA Cup quarter-finalists, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth, and Fulham, have never won the famous cup.
Preston, the only Championship side still in with a shout of reaching Wembley, last won the FA Cup back in 1938 against Huddersfield.
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are both enjoying their best seasons in decades but haven’t lifted a major trophy this century.
However, even for the clubs that don’t manage to go all the way, simply reaching Wembley will be a success in itself.
The FA Cup has undergone numerous revamps in recent years, with the abandoning of replays and an altered competition schedule.
One of the most controversial rulings in recent times was the semi-finals being staged at Wembley, but what is the case for this season?
Are the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley?
Yes, all semi-finals will once again be held at the national stadium.
That has been the case since 2008, a year after the new Wembley opened, to help the FA recoup the financial costs of building it.
Prior to then, FA Cup semi-finals were traditionally played at neutral venues, including Old Trafford, Villa Park, and Hillsborough.
The move was first announced in 2003, and Nick Barron, who was a spokesperson for the FA, claimed it was a ‘financial necessity’.
“There will be traditionalists upset by the idea of the semi-finals being at Wembley,” Barron said.
“So will some fans of clubs who would have to travel a long way to London and we appreciate that it’s not necessarily an ideal situation.
“However, it’s a financial necessity in order to pay for the new stadium. And the up side is that not only will more fans be able to watch the games, but they will be doing so in the best stadium in the world.”
The first FA Cup semi-finals to be played at the 90,000-seater new Wembley were Portsmouth‘s 1-0 win over West Brom and Cardiff City’s same scoreline triumph against Barnsley in April 2008.
At that time, only Pompey, now in the Championship, were a Premier League representative, with the other three in the second division.
FA Cup quarter-final fixtures
Saturday, March 29
- Fulham vs Crystal Palace – 12:15pm talkSPORT
- Brighton vs Nottingham Forest – 17:15pm talkSPORT
Sunday, March 30
- Preston vs Aston Villa – 13:30pm talkSPORT
- Bournemouth vs Manchester City – 16:30pm talkSPORT Exclusive
