Crisis club Chelsea have been beaten finalists in each of the last two seasons.
They need to cast aside the massing uncertainty after the government sanctioning of Russian oligarch owner Roman Abramovich when they travel to Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Chris Wilder’s Championship side will fancy their chances amid the drama, not least after seeing off another glitzy London club in the form of Tottenham with a famous extra-time win at the Riverside Stadium in the last 16.
And now it’s a repeat of the 1997 final with a place in the semis at stake.
Three ties on Sunday build towards another second versus first tier clash at the City Ground, as Liverpool head to Nottingham Forest.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have already pocketed the first domestic trophy of the season thanks to victory over Chelsea in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.
And few would bet against them striding out under the arch again as they take on the Championship play-off hopefuls on the banks of the River Trent.
The Reds edged out Premier League strugglers Norwich at Anfield in the last 16, while Forest backed up superb wins over Arsenal and Leicester with a third home success over Huddersfield.
Manchester City remain on course to collect their first FA Cup crown since 2019 when they travel to fellow EPL side Southampton on Sunday.
Trophy-hungry coach Pep Guardiola and his side may even welcome the break from league action, where they are being pushed all the way by Liverpool in the title race.
City dispensed with Championship Peterborough in the last round, in which the Saints pulled off an impressive 3-1 victory over West Ham at St Mary’s Stadium.
Another all-Premier League tie completes the quarter-finals as Crystal Palace and Everton face off in south London.
It’s an excuse to put a shock relegation battle to one side for the Merseyside club, who saw off Boreham Wood of the National League in the fifth round at Goodison Park.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are seeking a rare shot at a trophy having squeezed past Stoke at Selhurst Park at the previous hurdle.
Latest FA Cup fixtures and results
Select the relevant competition from the drop down in order to see the results and fixtures.
FA Cup quarter-final predictions for 19 – 20 March
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team?s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing.
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Middlesbrough | 13 | |
| Chelsea | 69 | 78 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Crystal Palace | 47 | 45 |
| Everton | 29 | 30 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Southampton | 11 | |
| Manchester City | 77 | 76 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Nottingham Forest | 9 | |
| Liverpool | 80 | 71 |