Manchester City have booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals after an intense battle with Bournemouth in the latest round of the competition.
Manchester City defeated Bournemouth during the weekend in their quarter-final fixture, coming back from being a goal down with goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush securing the 2-1 victory.
It could be said that the FA Cup will be the Sky Blues's main priority in the lead-up to the season's conclusion, as it is their only chance of attaining silverware. However, they won't be relying on the FA Cup as their path to Europe, as a win in this competition sends you to the Europa League, not the Champions League, and the way to return to the biggest club competition will be finishing in the top four or even fifth in the Premier League.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa were comfortable over Preston North End, Crystal Palace did the same over Fulham, and Nottingham Forest advanced after a penalty shootout with Brighton and Hove Albion.
The FA Cup semi-final fixtures
- Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa
- Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
The matches will take place on April 26th and 27th; however, the official dates and times are yet to be announced.
As only one more match stands between Man City and the grand final, they'll have a massive task to overcome as they take on this season's surprise side Nottingham Forest, who are also currently rather comfortable in third place in the Premier League, meaning they could end the season with Champions League football for the next.
If they can achieve top four and also add the FA Cup to their name, it will surely be a special season for Forest to remember.
For Manchester City, after failure in the Premier League, Carabao Cup and in the Champions League, the FA Cup is their only hope of winning a trophy to end the term with. The Cityzens are also struggling in their bid for European football. While they are currently fifth, they are only four points away from 10th place, meaning they are nowhere near safe in attaining any UEFA football, let alone the Champions League.
The two clubs have played each other twice this season, both coming in the Premier League: the first ending with a big 3-0 victory for Manchester City and the other recently coming as a 1-0 win for Nottingham Forest. So, it's currently 50/50 between the two, adding an extra layer of nerves going into the game.
For Crystal Palace, being in the final four with an opportunity to go all the way will be a massive achievement, especially since they aren't even in the top 10 of the Premier League as of right now.
Aston Villa remain in contention for a higher finish in the league, as they are only four points away from fourth spot. However, the FA Cup isn't the only priority for the side as they remain in the Champions League and have a quarter-final tie upcoming against Paris Saint-Germain, leaving them with two potential trophies to work towards.
As we've approached the second to last month of the 24/25 season, we get closer to seeing who will be winning the FA Cup.