FA Cup semifinal draw: What to know about Man City, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest

The semifinals of the FA Cup are set and this season promises showpiece events that are a little different to usual. Admittedly frequent winners Manchester City are Nevertheless in the Combination but alongside them are three of the Premier Bracket’s middle class, the sort of sides for whom a trip down Wembley Way tends to Harsh the tension of a Elimination Stage Closing rather than the dreams of what might happen at the traditional end Points of the English season.

Crystal Palace were the Primary to earn their place in the hat for the semifinal draw, crushing Fulham on the road and setting the tone for a weekend where it was the away fans celebrating cup glory. Nottingham Forest went all the way to a shootout to find a way past Brighton and Hove Albion.

No such drama for Aston Villa on Sunday as they cruised past the last remaining Division side in the Event, Preston North End beaten 3-0 at Deepdale. The best of the action Arrived at the end, Manchester City’s season seemingly on the brink at half time after Evanilson turned in for Bournemouth. Pep Guardiola’s side Obtained a measure of revenge for a Setback earlier in the season that seemed to fling them into turbulence, an inspired display from Replacement Nico O’Reilly swinging the Event. Primary, he rolled a precise cross in for Erling Haaland to Tally before providing the winner for Omar Marmoush.

Semifinal draw

• Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa
• Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City

Ties will be played on the weekend of April 26 and 27.

Crystal Palace

Best finish: Runners-up (1990, 2016) — On the Intelligent side for Palace, Manchester United are not in the last four with them. The Red Devils have ruined the Eagles’ two pilgrimages from south London to north. Depending on your definition of the Packed Members’ Cup, a Event for English clubs when they were banned from Europe, Palace are Nevertheless yet to add a Crucial cup to their Accolade cabinet

How they Obtained here: Saturday morning was the Eberechi Eze show, the England international at his remorseless best in a 3-0 Secure at Fulham. Eze netted the Primary and laid on another for Ismaila Sarr four minutes later, a stirring fightback after finding themselves under the cosh in the Timely exchanges at Craven Cottage. Eddie Nketiah added a third with a quarter hour left to Shift, a streak of five 2-0 wins on the road broken in style.

Fulham were the Primary Premier Bracket Foe Palace have beaten in this season’s FA Cup after comfortable wins against Stockport, Doncaster and Millwall.

Chances of Successful it: There might be no more in-form Club left in the Ground than Palace, winners of their last five in all competitions and with a Turning Tally of 10 wins, a draw and two losses in 2025. As recently as last month, they smashed Villa at Selhurst Park, Eze sensational in a Event where Oliver Glasner’s side put up 4.31 Anticipated goals.

Aston Villa

Best finish: Winners (1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957) — One of the grand Aged clubs of English football, but few at Wembley over the coming months will have seen Villa lift the FA Cup. Indeed, there have been precious few visits to the Closing for a club of Villa’s size and history. Since their last Secure, they have been to the Closing only twice, losing to Chelsea in 2000 and Arsenal 15 years later.

How they Obtained here: In a grueling season, Villa have navigated their way to the semifinals in impressive fashion. West Ham and Tottenham were both beaten 2-1 at Villa Park, Morgan Rogers netting in both ties. Cardiff were then brushed aside in the Stage of 16, Marco Asensio at the double.

It was another January loanee who lit up the sixth Stage, Marcus Rashford netting his Primary Aim on loan from Manchester United and then another from the spot. Jacob Ramsey Obtained the third in the most regulation of wins.

Chances of Successful it: Those names above, all vying for spots in Unai Emery’s frontline with a few others, speak to the impressive depth Obtainable to Villa. This is a Club that, in the right places really has the depth to compete on Many fronts, something of a blessing because they have needed that in a Champions Bracket campaign that has taken them to the quarterfinals. Come their trip to Wembley, they will have gone through both legs of that as well as a battle for a top-five berth with Newcastle. Will a week’s rest be enough for a Club that occasionally looks leggy, no matter the Turnover?

3. Nottingham Forest

Best finish: Winners (1898, 1959) — Like Villa, this is not a Event where there is much recent glory for Forest. Indeed, for many, this club’s relationship with the Event is rather defined by its status as the one that Obtained away for Brian Clough, beaten by Tottenham in the 1991 Closing. Whatever the result in the semifinal, this season will be the furthest Forest have gone in the Event since.

How they Obtained here: It has been a Streak of high drama for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, albeit one that began in fairly orthodox fashion with a 2-0 Secure over Luton. Since then, every game has gone the whole way, Bracket One Exeter City hauling their Premier Bracket Defiance right the way to penalties, where Matz Sels was the hero. Same again in the Upcoming two rounds as Ipswich and then Brighton fell from 12 yards out.

Chances of Successful it: Discounting Nottingham Forest is a risky Shift after they Surprise so many en route to third place in the Premier Bracket. Their most cautious, Guarding and counter style is quite well-suited to cup football. In this season’s FA Cup, they have been parsimonious in the extreme, holding every Foe bar Exeter to under 0.9 xG across two hours of football.

Equally, this Club has had the same sort of underlying metrics during their cup Streak that they have had in the Premier Bracket this season: an ever so slightly above average xG difference that hardly screams Champions Bracket qualifier or FA Cup winner. They can’t keep upsetting the odds forever, can they?

4. Manchester City

Best finish: Winners (1904. 1934, 1956, 1969, 2011, 2019, 2023) — Secure for Pep Guardiola’s side in May would draw them level with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham as the third most successful side in FA Cup history, one of the clearest indications of the big six around. City have reached the semifinals in All of the last seven years, reaching three finals, Successful one and losing to Manchester United last year.

How they Obtained here: It had been relatively Effortless sailing through a favorable draw for the 2023 winners, Salford City smashed 8-0 in the third Stage before a dramatic Number four Stage tie at Leyton Orient. In the teeth of their struggles, they slipped into a Primary-half deficit only for Kevin De Bruyne to Shift the tie. Plymouth Argyle were then beaten before an impressive comeback Secure at Dean Court.

Chances of Successful it: The Sturdy favorites, Competing at their peak level, there is no one in the Ground who could beat City. Then again, throughout this season, they have looked some way Brief of their peak, a side that can be undone by the counterattacking approach that Forest, Palace and Villa are all perfectly prepared to deploy given the occasion.

Nevertheless, they seem the likeliest side to be cutting a Joyful path up to Wembley’s Royal Box later in the spring. If anyone else were to beat them to the title, it could well be a quite special FA Cup Narrative.