Key Stats That Set The Stage For FA Cup Semi-Final This Weekend

‎The FA Cup semi-final weekend has arrived, with all four teams eager to secure a spot at Wembley for the final on May 17.

‎On Saturday evening, Crystal Palace will take on Aston Villa in the first of two matches, and Unai Emery’s squad will be looking to turn the tide on their recent performances against Palace.

‎This is largely due to the Villans’ recent struggles against the Eagles, having failed to win any of their last four encounters in all competitions (with one draw and three losses), during which they conceded 13 goals.

‎Additionally, Palace eliminated them from the League Cup earlier this season.

‎So far, only Tottenham has managed to knock them out of both the FA Cup and League Cup in the same season, accomplishing this feat in 1968/69.

‎Aston Villa: Six losses in the last eight at Wembley.

‎Villa have struggled at Wembley recently, losing six of their last eight matches there. This will be their first visit since their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the 2020 League Cup final.

‎Their two victories during this stretch came against Liverpool in the 2015 FA Cup semi-final and Derby County in the 2019 Championship play-off final, both ending in 2-1 scores.

‎​The current hoodoo notwithstanding, Villa does have the edge over the South Londoners in the FA Cup.

‎The two teams have met three times in the competition, and Palace has been eliminated each time, losing 5-0 in the third round in 1912/13, 4-3 in 1961/62, and 3-1 in a fifth-round replay in 2009/10.

‎In addition, Unai Emery has successfully advanced from all four single-legged semi-final cup ties he managed while at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons.

‎His victories included a 4-1 win against Bordeaux and a 3-2 win over Rennes in the Coupe de la Ligue, as well as a 5-0 triumph against Monaco and a 3-1 victory against Caen in the Coupe de France.

‎Historically, the Eagles have yet to lift the famous FA Cup trophy, finishing as runners-up in the finals of 1989/90 and 2015/16 against Manchester United.

‎In contrast, Aston Villa has won the cup seven times, although their most recent victory dates back to the 1958/59 season.

‎Since the turn of the millennium, Villa has lost two finals, facing defeat against Chelsea in 1999/2000 and Arsenal in 2014/15. Overall, they have reached 11 FA Cup finals, a feat matched by only seven other teams.

‎Rashford is the man to watch

‎This marks Crystal Palace’s sixth FA Cup semi-final, and they have a pattern of alternating between elimination at this stage (1976, 1995, 2022) and advancing to the final (1990, 2016) in their previous five semi-finals.

‎In this season’s quarter-final, they secured a victory over Fulham, but before that, they had been eliminated in eight of their last 10 FA Cup ties against Premier League teams.

‎In fact, the last time they knocked out more than one Premier League side in a single season was in the 2015/16 campaign.

‎There will be plenty of attacking talent on show from both sides, but one man to watch in the fixture will be Villa’s Marcus Rashford, who has had a new lease of life at Villa Park.

‎In domestic cup competitions this season, he has contributed to six goals (four goals and two assists) for both Manchester United and Aston Villa.

‎Since the beginning of the 2016/17 season, he has been involved in 40 goals across 60 FA Cup and League Cup matches (comprising 26 goals and 14 assists), which is more than any other player in the Premier League.

‎He is, however, yet to score or assist in an FA Cup semi-final in five attempts.

‎Wembley has become Man City’s second home

‎The venue has become a second home for the Cityzens, as this will be their 28th appearance at the ‘new’ Wembley. In contrast, Nottingham Forest has only played there twice since the stadium reopened in 2007.

‎Their previous match at Wembley was a 1-0 victory against Huddersfield in the 2022 Championship play-off final.

‎Don’t be surprised if this match goes to penalties, as Forest has participated in shoot-outs during the fourth round, fifth round, and quarter-finals this season, becoming the first team to have three shoot-outs in a single FA Cup campaign.

‎Additionally, they lost to Newcastle on penalties in the Carabao Cup. Currently, Chelsea in 2021/22 remains the only top-flight team to have taken part in five penalty shoot-outs in a single season.

‎The player to watch in this semi will undoubtedly be City’s Kevin de Bruyne who will almost certainly have a say in how the match ends up.

‎The Belgian is in his last FA Cup campaign with City and potentially his final one ever, should he move abroad for the later stages of his illustrious career.

‎Since making his debut in the competition in January 2016, he has been involved in more goals than any other player, recording a total of 28 contributions (10 goals and 18 assists).

‎His impact on the tournament has been significant, solidifying his legacy in the FA Cup.

‎Forest eye first FA Cup final since 1991

‎On Sunday, Nottingham Forest will face off against cup favorites Manchester City in the other semi-final.

‎If the Tricky Trees manage to defeat Pep Guardiola’s dynamic team, they will advance to their first FA Cup final since the 1990/91 season, when they lost to Tottenham Hotspur.

‎The match is particularly remembered for Paul Gascoigne’s horrific challenge on Gary Charles, which resulted in Charles tearing his cruciate ligaments and leaving the field on a stretcher, replaced by Nayim after just 17 minutes.

‎This will also be the first time since defeating West Ham 4-0 at Villa Park that same year that Nottingham Forest has reached an FA Cup semi-final.

‎Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will likely feel confident about their chances.

‎Manchester City has lost four of their five FA Cup meetings with Nottingham Forest, winning only once, with their most recent encounter resulting in a 3-0 home defeat in the third round of the 2008/09 season.

‎This season, Forest has already triumphed over City with a 1-0 victory in the Premier League.

‎The last time Forest managed to defeat City twice in the same campaign was in 1989/90 when they won two league matches and once in the Full Members Cup.

‎City are looking to make more football history, however.

‎It’s their seventh consecutive appearance in an FA Cup semi-final, winning three and losing three of the previous six. They’ve won the last two, and are looking to reach the final in three consecutive years for the first time ever.

‎Given that they’ve already reached a League Cup final on three successive occasions too, they’d be the first team in English football history to complete such a feat.

‎Rumors about the decline of the world’s oldest cup competition have been greatly exaggerated, as the FA Cup has not lost any of its popularity among clubs and their supporters.

‎By Sunday evening, only two of the four teams remaining in the competition will still be standing. The question is, which two will it be?