The Premier League’s last two ‘top-six’ sides in the FA Cup this season were kept apart in the FA Cup draw but both have away games in the quarter finals.
Manchester United have another difficult trip away in the FA Cup with a visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers after tough trips to London to play Arsenal and Chelsea followed a routine win at home to Reading.
United’s interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be eyeing up silverware after coming through his 13th game as Reds boss with a record of 11 wins, 1 draw and a solitary defeat to Paris St Germain.
Solskjaer’s deal is up at the end of the season but a rich vein of league form has lifted the Reds to 4th in the Premier League and a trophy at the end of the season would help his chances of extending his Old Trafford stay longer.
The Premier League’s form team may be out of Europe if they can’t overturn a 2-0 deficit at Paris when they travel to the French capital meaning they might be able to concentrate solely to staying in the top four in the league with the bonus of an FA Cup run.
Quadruple chasing Manchester City have had a much more straightforward route to the quarter finals.
Home games against Rotherham and Burnley were followed by a trip down to Newport with a total aggregate goal haul of 16-1 seeing them cruise into the quarter finals.
City will be going back to Wales to play Championship side Swansea City after beating Newport County at Rodney Parade in the 5th Round.
Pep Guardiola’s side are chasing down Liverpool at the top of the Premier League but their kind Cup draws so far have seen them tipped for an unprecedented four trophies this season.
They will be in action at the weekend in the Carabao Cup final against a wounded Chelsea side – they thrashed them 6-0 in the league last week while United were never threatened by the limp Londoners tonight as they relinquished the FA Cup with a meek performance.
FA CUP QUARTER FINALS
Swansea City vs Manchester City
Watford vs Crystal Palace
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United
Millwall vs Brighton and Hove Albion
Ties will be played on the weekend of March 15-17