FA Cup Semi Finals: Preview

It's been a while since I have posted anything on here but despite this I shall be posting more regularly in the coming weeks and months as we come to the end of the season.

It's FA Cup weekend today as we see the semi finals of the competition take place at Wembley. There has been questions thrown into the mix recently into whether the semi finals should be played at Wembley or not. In previous years they have taken place at Villa Park and Old Trafford which seems logical and also means for fans there would be just the one trip to Wembley being the final. However now fans will go to Wembley twice within the space of a month or so and asks the question whether it takes away the excitement of going to the home of English football.

However moving on from that, the two semi finals see three Premier League sides and one Championship team take to the field in the battle for a place in the final. Winners from last season's competition, Chelsea, face fellow Premiership side Manchester City while Wigan Athletic take on Millwall in the first of the semi finals.

1# Wigan Athletic v Millwall

picture: the guardian.co.uk

Top flight side Wigan stunned everyone in their quarter final tie this year as they produced an excellent first half display to dispose of Everton at Goodison Park. Despite this they face themselves in yet another relegation fight in the league. The Premier League team will go into the tie as understandable favourites as they continue their cup journey. Roberto Martinez's side overcame Bournemouth, Macclesfield, Huddersfield and Everton to get here and will continue to rely on Jordi Gomez for the goals. The Spanish midfielder is their top scorer this season in the competition with three and alongside Arouna Kone the pair are a real threat. They come up against Championship side Millwall who are playing their second cup semi final in nine years. Kenny Jackett's men have only let one goal in, in their cup run this year and have kept clean sheets in their previous three games. They surprised everyone in the last round as they overcame Blackburn Rovers in a replay at Ewood Park thanks to a goal from Dan Shittu. Luton, Aston Villa and Preston have also fell victim to the London side in this year's competition. This tie will be the 23rd competitive meeting between the sides with Millwall winning nine and Wigan winning just the six.

Prediction: Wigan 2-0 Millwall

2# Chelsea v Manchester City

picture: bbc.co.uk

In this all Premier League tie winners of the competition last season Chelsea come up against Premier League champions Manchester City. It has been an interesting season for Chelsea as they find themselves in two semi finals and fighting for a Champions League place. Despite fans unrest with interim Rafa Benitez, the Spaniard has guided the side to semi final places in the FA Cup and Europa League. Manchester City came out on top in the Manchester derby on Monday at Old Trafford and with the title race all but over, they will want the FA Cup to be coming back to the Etihad. Roberto Mancini's men have had a relatively simple journey to the semi finals knocking out Barnsley, Leeds, Watford and Stoke scoring 13 goals and not conceding one. Having knocked Manchester United out in the last round, Chelsea will fancy their chances against City despite failing to beat them in three encounters this season. Manchester City came out on top in the Community Shield game at the beginning of the season as well as the league game at the Etihad. The two played a goal less draw at Stamford Bridge though back in November. 

Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City

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FA Cup Quarter Finals: Preview

As the season begins to get to the end, we focus on the quarter finals of the FA Cup this weekend. Only recently we saw the first piece of silverware won this season with Swansea beating Bradford 5-0 in the Capital One Cup final last month. The winners of the four FA Cup games will see them play at Wembley in the semi finals. There are three Championship sides and five Premier League teams battling it out for these places as we preview the four ties.

1# Manchester United v Chelsea

picture: chelseafc.tv

The cup so far has seen the big sides in the Premier League avoid each other up until now. The two teams faced each other in the Capital One Cup this season which saw a cracking game see Chelsea come out winners 5-4 after extra time. Both teams were involved in European action in the week but will both be determined to progress to the semi finals. Chelsea were the winners of the competition last season under Di Matteo beating Liverpool, while United have not won the competition since 2005. Victory for Chelsea would relieve some pressure under interim boss Rafa Benitez but at Old Trafford, a victory will be a massive task for the blues. United will look towards dutch maestro Van Persie for inspiration and goals as he looks to add to his goal tally this season.

Prediction: Man United 2-1 Chelsea

2# Manchester City v Barnsley

Barnsley will look to cause an FA Cup shock as they travel to the English champions. Having had an excellent run in the competition this season, the Championship side will want a repeat of their cup run of 2008 where they beat Chelsea at the same stage. City have had a relatively simple route to the quarter finals this season and will expect to get past their opponents. They will be without Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero but will still be expected to put out a strong side that will aim to repeat the club's success in the competition two seasons ago. As the league looks out of their grasp, Roberto Mancini's only other chance of silverware comes in the cup. The most recent tie between the clubs came in 2004 where City handsomely beat Barnsley 7-1 in the League Cup.

Prediction: Man City 3-0 Barnsley

3# Millwall v Blackburn Rovers

picture: bbc.co.uk

In the all Championship affair, the chance of a semi final place for both clubs will is massive. Had these respected clubs lost their fifth round ties then this hame would have seen non-league Luton host Premier League Arsenal. Instead Millwall produced a professional display to get past Luton while Blackburn were involved in the tie of the round as they beat Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates. Rovers under Michael Appleton have not won any of their five games in the league since the shock win having lost four and drawn one,. In the only league game between the two this season, Millwall were the winners as they beat Blackburn 2-0 at Ewood Park back in November. 

Prediction: Millwall 2-2 Blackburn

4# Everton v Wigan Athletic

In the opening cup game of the weekend, these two Premier League sides will battle it out for a place at Wembley. In the previous round, Everton needed a replay to dispatch of League One side Oldham, while Wigan comfortably saw of Championship side Huddersfield 4-1. Wigan will play their second game against a Merseyside club this week having played Liverpool at home in the league last Saturday where they were thumped 4-0. Everton going well in the league, reached the semi finals last season, but came out second best as they were beaten by city rivals Liverpool. This is the 18th meeting in all competitions between the clubs. The last time Wigan beat Everton at Goodison Park was back in 2005 when they won 1-0 in a league game. 

Prediction: Everton 2-0 Wigan Athletic

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