Tottenham and Aston Villa play FA Cup quarterfinals this weekend
knowing they will rarely have a better chance of winning the famous
trophy again than they do this season.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have
between them won 13 of the past 14 FA Cup finals but Chelsea, which
hosts Stoke on Sunday, is the only one of the Premier League's
so-called big four left in the tournament.
Tottenham is at Fulham on Saturday having won the last of its
once-record eight FA Cups in 1991, while seven-time champion Aston
Villa is at Reading on Sunday without a title since 1957.
But Villa has already been to one Wembley final this season,
losing Sunday's League Cup final 2-1 to Manchester United.
"Hopefully we'll get back in the FA Cup," Villa goalkeeper
Brad Friedel said. "We were determined to try and get through in
the FA Cup anyway.
"But it will make us all the more determined."
Reading is the only second-tier club left in the FA Cup,
world football's oldest tournament. Sunday's match is a welcome
distraction from the Royals' grueling battle against relegation
from the League Championship.
Reading has only made it to the FA Cup semifinals once
before, way back in 1927 when it lost to eventual winner Cardiff.
But it has beaten Premier League Liverpool and Burnley already in
this season's tournament.
"Villa are strong, quick and they've got pace all over the
team," Reading manager Brian McDermott said. "For Sunday, we have
to concentrate on our strengths and play to our strengths.
"We'll have a game plan against them and we'll try to make
the next round and make that little bit more history."
Villa should have key players James Milner, James Collins and
Stiliyan Petrov fit after they played international friendlies in
midweek.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is chasing a Wembley final
for the third straight season, having taken Portsmouth to the 2008
FA Cup title and lost last season's League Cup final in a shootout
to Manchester United.
With all three of his main strikers in form, he has a
difficult team selection to make for a game against a Fulham side
that Tottenham has beaten and drawn with already this season.
Peter Crouch scored twice in England's 3-1 midweek win over
Egypt, Roman Pavlyuchenko has hit six goals in four matches and
Jermain Defoe has 22 goals so far this season.
Fulham reached the final in 1975 but has never won the FA
Cup.
Defending champion Chelsea is aiming for a third FA Cup title
in four years but it is fighting hard for the Premier League and
Champions League, giving Stoke hope of the sort of upset win it
sprung on Arsenal and Manchester City in the last two rounds.
Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross is suspended after being sent
off for a tackle on Aaron Ramsey that broke the Arsenal
midfielder's leg in a league match last weekend.
Portsmouth hosts Birmingham in the other quarterfinal on
Saturday.
With Chelsea in FA Cup action, Manchester United has the
chance to retake the lead in the Premier League when it goes to
Wolverhampton Wanderers, in one of three matches Saturday.
Victory would take the defending champion two points ahead,
although Arsenal also has an outside chance of going top if United
stumbles and the Gunners beat Burnley by more than four goals.
West Ham hosts Bolton in the other match, while Hull is at
Everton on Sunday.
Liverpool is at Wigan in Monday's match.
