Three years ago, Manchester City faced Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final with “The Citizens” eyeing a quadruple. Pep Guardiola decided to rotate the squad: Gundogan and Foden came on in the second half, while Stones, Walker, Bernardo Silva, and Mahrez didn’t play. City lost 0-1.

The following year, Guardiola continued his rotation policy, albeit less, but one of his rotations backfired when goalkeeper Zack Steffen made a mistake directly leading to Sadio Mane’s goal for Liverpool, resulting in a 3-2 defeat. In 2023, Guardiola stuck to his squad rotation policy, but this time City only faced Sheffield United and won comfortably 3-0 en route to the title (and a treble).

Speaking of the treble, hopes of replicating the previous season’s success are dwindling for City after being knocked out by Real Madrid in the Champions League. With the race for the Premier League title still tight, will Pep rotate again? The defending champions play in the semi-finals just three days after an exhausting 120-minute match, while Chelsea, after defeating Everton on Monday, have had time to rest before heading to Wembley.

Not to mention, Chelsea has already held City to two draws this season, exploiting their pace on the counter. Chelsea’s campaign seemed lackluster initially, but their recent good form has put them in contention for a Europa League spot, making this FA Cup clash crucial for Mauricio Pochettino and his players. Speaking of his players, both Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling understand City well, especially Palmer, whose form will be a significant concern for Pep.

If the City-Chelsea tie poses difficulties for both sides, the Coventry City-Manchester United pairing is considered straightforward for United. Straightforward in terms of reputation, but not necessarily in terms of playing quality. Coventry may have a less talented and lower-paid squad, but they will be extremely determined for the rare chance to defeat one of the most famous Premier League teams, while United have seen several opponents underperform, allowing them around 20 shots towards Andre Onana’s goal.

With the top-four race becoming increasingly distant, United’s season now hinges on the FA Cup, and Erik Ten Hag is focusing on this front. But can the Dutch manager control his underperforming squad? If not, Mark Robins might not only be remembered as the savior of a United manager’s career but also as the one who sank his Old Trafford successor.

Mixed feelings for the returnees

Arsenal and Liverpool had the opportunity to temporarily surpass Manchester City while the Premier League champions were busy in the FA Cup, but both teams returned home after disappointing exits from European competitions.

Liverpool’s form has notably declined, even with the return of Diogo Jota, highlighting issues beyond poor finishing. Fulham’s form isn’t impressive, and the season holds little significance for the West London club, but Liverpool could easily drop out of the race if they don’t rectify their issues, despite having a few games left.

Arsenal isn’t much better off, with many attacking players experiencing a downturn in form due to fatigue, and Mikel Arteta struggling to find a new strategy despite Martin Odegaard’s consistent performances. Wolverhampton hasn’t been in good form recently, with just one win in seven games due to attacking injuries, but they could still pose a threat after drawing with Arsenal.

Tottenham won’t play in this round (they’ll face neighbors Arsenal at the end of the month), but this week could still determine the direction of the top-four race, especially with little chance for Premier League’s fifth place in the Champions League. In contrast to Arsenal and Liverpool, Aston Villa returned home jubilant after defeating Lille in a penalty shootout in the Europa Conference League, further buoyed by beating Arsenal in matchday 33.

Aston Villa is in high spirits after defeating Arsenal and Lille

Bournemouth has been in good form with three wins and two draws in their last six games, while Aston Villa only has two days to prepare for this match, so there are no guarantees for “The Villans” to secure all three points at Villa Park. Tottenham could still level the points difference by winning their games in hand, so the results of this round will be crucial for the psychological state of the West Midlands club.