Key events
Let’s pivot to Andoni Iraola who is chatting away.
“Everything has been focussed on the cup,” he says. “We have a big opportunity this weekend, we know who we face and the challenge, but the reward is very big.
“Everyone has to give everything. I don’t know if it’s going to be enough to beat City. The reward is huge. The chance to play at Wembley … for City they’ve been there so many times, it’s not so important.”
QUIZ. It’s Friday lunchtime so that means quiz time.
Here’s a brilliant answer from Pep when asked if the City squad would get a bonus if they won the Club World Cup:
We don’t deserve a bonus this season. Not even a watch.
Guardiola is asked if it’s good for the game that teams outside the big six are thriving this season and going deep in the FA Cup.
“That proves how good they are,” he said. “We see it every week in the Premier League and they prove it again in the FA Cup. In England always the biggest topic is [that] any team can beat any team. Of course two teams, Liverpool and Arsenal, have done amazing in the Premier League but the rest … anything can happen.”
Guardiola leaves door open for De Bruyne to exit City
Pep Guardiola said Kevin de Bruyne’s future is “between the club and Kevin” and that he’s “just concerned about the team” and finishing the season on a high.
The 33-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and Guardiola was asked about the Belgian’s future at Manchester City.
“He is a player,” was the City manager’s blunt answer when asked if he’d like to keep De Bruyne at the club beyond the summer. The playmaker will now be free to negotiate a pre-contract with clubs outside the Premier League if he so desires.
Here’s a few snippets from the start of Pep Guardiola’s presser.
On Bournemouth: “I wouldn’t say they were chaotic, they have a specific kind of playing. It would be boring if every team played in the same way.”
On learning from Iraola: “Yeah. There are many [managers to learn from].”
On waiting for the charges: “Nothing changes having one more, or two more, or three more weeks. We are more than one year [waiting] with that.”
City are looking to reach a seventh successive FA Cup semi-final under Guardiola. Which would be crazy good.
Marco and Fulham: chasing Silvaware.
In terms of pre-FA Cup press conference goodness, we’ve got Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola coming up at 12.30pm; then at 1pm Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva, of Bournemouth and Fulham respectively, are up before the media masses.
We’ll also hear from Oliver Glasner, Unai Emery and Paul Heckingbottom before the day is done. What a Friday feast.
Championship strugglers Derby County have announced the short-term signing of former Stoke and Burnley defender Erik Pieters.
The 36-year-old was at Luton on a similar deal earlier in the season but departed as a free agent without playing a game. His last games came at West Brom last season.
Derby County have completed the signing of Erik Pieters. ✅
The experienced defender has signed a deal until the end of the 2024/25 season. ✍️
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) March 28, 2025
Nottingham Forest are chasing records at Brighton on Saturday, looking to reach their first FA Cup semi-final since the Brian Clough era. Forest’s previous appearance in the last four was in 1991 with Old Big ‘Ead at the helm.
Nuno Espírito Santo is enjoying a stellar season with Forest in the league and even though star striker Chris Wood will be absent through injury this weekend, the Portuguese senses another opportunity to make history.
“As a group and as a club we have managed to change many things. We’ve broken records that have stood for 30, 40 years,” said Nuno. “Suddenly we have another chance to break another. This is how we think.
“Since the beginning of the FA Cup, we have had only one ambition: to go as far as possible. For that, we must compete well at Brighton.
“I think the fans are recognising that our players give it everything they have on the pitch. That is what should make us proud.
“Of course, we love the cup. We’re going to give everything that we have to achieve what our fans expect and desire, but before that, we have a lot of work.”
Another good read for you here. Millie Bright chats to Suzanne Wrack.
“I wonder if Osasuna would have been quite as outraged about Martinez’s selection had they got something from the game?” asks Michael Fitzgerald on email.
”If you lose 3-0 it’s probably down to more than just the inclusion of one player. Oh look, storm clouds are beginning to form over that nearby teacup, alert the Met Office!”
More club v country injury fury …
Bayern Munich demanded an explanation from Canada team officials after defender Alphonso Davies suffered a ligament tear on international duty that has put him out of the Bundesliga season finale.
The 24-year-old was forced off early in Canada’s 2-1 win over the U.S. in the Concacaf Nations League third-place playoff on Sunday.
“It is bitter for us and the way it happened is just not correct,” Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said. “We want to know what exactly happened.”
Freund said Davies had complained of fatigue after Canada’s prior game but still played. “He is the captain, a young man who wanted to help his team but it was borderline,” said Freund. “The second issue is the injury after 12 minutes. Then Phonzy [Davies] flies back on a 12-hour flight and we all assume it is not a serious injury but then we have this,” Freund said of the discovery Davies had an ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear in his right knee.
“That is sloppy. It is not professional and we need to talk and clear it up. We are the employers, we pay the players, so we will be looking into what happened.”
There was no immediate response from the Canada team. Reuters
It’s not just in the English domestic cup competition where underdogs are thriving this season. Good piece this from Niall McVeigh.
Time for some of your correspondence. And Richard Hirst has taken issue with my caption on a picture of Milos Kerkez.
Best left back in the Premier League? Hmmmm; you need another coffee and croissant so that the brain cells fire up and bring Antonee Robinson to mind. I’m looking forward to the 50th anniversary of my previous cup final trip to Wembley with a repeat this year – and, in the absence of Alan Taylor, a better outcome!
I’m going to guess Richard is a Fulham supporter.
Osasuna fury at Martinez role in rearranged Barcelona game
Believe it or not, Barcelona’s men’s team played a La Liga game last night, beating Osasuna 3-0.
It is highly unusual for domestic matches to be played before the weekend after the international break. The game was rearranged after the death of Barcelona’s first-team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia when it was initially staged, on 8 March.
But the inclusion of Iñigo Martinez, who played 90 minutes for Barça has prompted anger from Osasuna. The defender withdrew from Spain squad on 17 March with a knee injury but was passed fit to play for Hansi Flick’s team.
Reports in Spanish media are saying that Osasuna will consider filing a complaint to the RFEF (Spanish football federation) as they believe Martinez violated a rule on the period of time that must pass after an injury withdrawal from the national team.
It’s a good time to be Bournemouth. They’re flying high in the Premier League, preparing for an FA Cup quarter-final and they’ve just moved into a shiny new training ground.
Oh, and striker Evanlison has just spoken to our very own Ben Fisher:
Redknapp calls Tuchel ‘German spy’, appears to do Nazi salute
You know earlier when I said there weren’t too many headlines in the world of football news at the moment …
This is an exclusive story from Jacob Steinberg, which includes video footage of the event.
Brighton’s Mitoma fit for Forest FA Cup tie
Fabian Hürzeler says he is hopeful Lewis Dunk, Solly March and Matt O’Riley will all be available to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while key man Kaoru Mitoma – who had been struggling with a knee injury – was passed fit to start.
Hürzeler confirmed Tariq Lamptey is out for a “longer time” and Joel Veltman is “still in rehab”.
“It’s an ankle injury,” said Hurzeler on Veltman. “Now the question is, what’s the definition, what is long?
“I think there’s a chance that we will see him back [before the end of the season]. He is a good healer, so I have a big trust in my medical staff, medical department, and in his mindset to be back on the pitch as quick as possible, so there’s a chance that he will be back in several weeks.”
Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler likes to get things done nice ‘n’ early. He’s been the first of the FA Cup quarter-final-competing managers under the media’s spotlight this morning.
Let’s hear from him next …
Speaking of Bournemouth, their left-back Milos Kerkez could be hot property this summer and he’s back in the news today. Liverpool have long been linked with the 21-year-old Hungarian international and Chelsea have reportedly ‘joined the race’, to use a classic piece of transfer jargon.
The Cherries may also field bids for Dean Huijsen, Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert (and possibly others) this summer but they’ll be keen to hang on to as many of their stars as possible.
It really is/could be a year of firsts in the FA Cup in 2025. Of the quarter-finalists only half of them (Preston, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City) have ever won the cup before and of the other four, Bournemouth have never made the final before, Brighton and Fulham have reached one final each (both lost) and Palace have twice been losing finalists.
So, those FA Cup quarter-finals to feast on this weekend …
Fulham v Crystal Palace, Saturday 12.15pm
Brighton v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 5.30pm
Preston v Aston Villa, Sunday 1.30pm
Bournemouth v Manchester City, Sunday 4.30pm
The last time we had an FA Cup final without one of the ‘big six’ was way back in 2008 – which was also the last time none of them featured in the semi-finals.
All UK times (GMT on Saturday, BST on Sunday – the clocks go forward this weekend).
Sonia Bompastor hasn’t found it too difficult stepping into Emma Hayes’ sizeable shoes at Chelsea. Her side are still unbeaten in the WSL, eight points clear and can now prepare for a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona after seeing off Manchester City at Stamford Bridge last night, winning 3-0 to overturn a 2-0 first leg deficit.
“Tonight was a perfect night for us,” said Bompastor. “To be able to play again at Stamford Bridge with our fans and turn things around, I’m really proud of my players. It was a difficult challenge but we really believed it was possible.
“The mental aspects in terms of performance are sometimes 70-80% of the performance and result. So, having belief and mental strength going into the game was important.”
Conversely it was a crushing night for Nick Cushing, the interim City manager, who keenly felt the absence of some key injured stars. “Depth is definitely the difference between the two teams at the moment,” he sighed.
Preamble
We are so back. Well, kind of. That there’s no full Premier League schedule to gorge on after the tedium of the international break is something of a disappointment, but with four genuinely intriguing FA Cup quarter-finals on the horizon, plus all the usual thrills and spills from down the leagues – promotion, relegation and playoff places on the line – the weekend ahead offers plenty of sustenance.
The past few days have offered a rather meagre supply of headlines. But Chelsea finished their unofficial four-match series with perennial women’s rival Manchester City with a 3-0 win (3-2 on aggregate; 3-1 in the series) and Barcelona walloped Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League. The last four of the WCL includes two English clubs, as well as Barça and Lyon.
Today we’re not quite back on the treadmill of Premier League managers’ press conferences but we’ll hear from the cup quarter-finalists and there will be a little look-ahead of the top flight games that lurk around the corner in midweek. As always, your correspondence is very welcome so do drop me an email. Grab a coffee and a croissant and get on board.
