FA Cup 2023-24: Semifinals Preview & Tips For The Final

The Wembley Stadium in London will host two mercurial FA Cup semifinals in the latter half of April. Manchester United and Coventry City will lock horns in the first clash, while Manchester City will go toe-to-toe with Chelsea in the second semifinal. If both Manchester clubs triumph, the winner of the FA Cup will be decided after a Manchester Derby.

Among the four teams, Manchester City will be the outright favourites, while Coventry City will be the biggest underdogs despite their fairytale voyage so far. The second-division side staged a dramatic comeback against top-division side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the quarterfinals. Coventry scored two goals in stoppage time to win 3-2 at the Molineux.

While Coventry were the only away side to win in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, teams like Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United capitalized on home advantage to clinch crucial victories. Like Coventry, Chelsea also scored two stoppage-time goals to defeat ten-man Leicester City 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Bernardo Silva’s first-half brace against Newcastle United was enough to propel Manchester City into the next round. Meanwhile, at Old Trafford, a dramatic derby between Manchester United and Liverpool ended 4-3 in favour of the hosts after Extra Time. The entertaining game ended the visitor’s hopes of completing a domestic treble in Jurgen Klopp’s last season.

Coventry City reaching the semifinals has been the biggest surprise of the season so far. After facing teams from the second or lower division in the competition, the Sky Blues finally faced a top-flight opponent in the quarterfinals. The club was pegged as the underdogs against Wolves but eventually emerged victorious on enemy territory.

Ellis Simms gave the visitors the lead in the 53rd minute. Wolves struck back with two goals in five minutes that came from Rayan Ait Nouri and Hugo Bueno. Just when it seemed that Coventry were heading out, Simms struck again in the 97th minute. The game was headed for Extra Time, but Haji Wright prevented that in the tenth minute of stoppage time.

At Old Trafford, a struggling Manchester United side played host to a rampaging Liverpool team. The Red Devils started well and got their noses in front via Scott McTominay in the tenth minute. Liverpool huffed and puffed and finally turned the game on its head before the break with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah.

In the 87th minute, substitute Antony restored parity for United and took the game into Extra Time. The Reds retook the lead via Harvey Elliott in the 105th minute but conceded an equaliser via Marcus Rashford. Penalties looked certain before Alejandro Garnacho set up Amad Diallo on a quick counterattack to score the winner at the death.

Now, United will take on Coventry at Wembley and will be the favourites to advance to the final of the competition.

Manchester City extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 22 games after beating Newcastle United in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Pegged as favourites, the defending champions did not let the experts down and dominated the game against the Magpies at the Etihad Stadium.

Bernardo Silva broke the deadlock in the 13th minute after Rodri found him in space. The Portuguese winger dribbled and saw his deflected shot go past Martin Dubravka and into the back of the net. Silva was on the scoresheet again in the 31st minute, and again, his shot picked up a deflection and caught the keeper on the wrong foot.

The Chelsea-Leicester City encounter was thrilling at Stamford Bridge. Marc Cucurella opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Raheem Sterling saw his penalty saved in the 26th minute. However, the hosts did get their second goal of the match before the break via Cole Palmer, which Sterling assisted.

Axel Disasi’s own goal and Stephy Mavididi’s strike in the second half restored parity. The visitors were reduced to ten after Callum Doyle’s 73rd-minute dismissal. The game was Extra Time-bound before Carney Chukwuemeka scored in the 92nd minute, and Noni Madueke sealed the outcome in the 98th minute.

The two shades of blue will collide at Wembley next, and despite Chelsea’s evident fighting spirit, it will be Manchester City who will be the favourites.

Both Manchester clubs are expected to reach the final and the winner will be decided after a tightly-contested Manchester Derby. Player availability and current form at that time will be a crucial factor in deciding the winner. However, to make a prediction, it is safe to pick Manchester City for the win. United are strong and have the better history, but Pep Guardiola’s men are on another level.