Manchester City will fight for their place in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend.
Manchester City will take on Bournemouth this Sunday with a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals on the line. The Cherries await City’s arrival in Dorset to decide who will make it through to the final four of the competition.
Pep Guardiola has provided a huge fitness boost ahead of the clash, confirming Ederson is in contention to play at the Vitality Stadium. After missing City’s latest Premier League match against Brighton and Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers, the shot-stopper could make his return against Bournemouth this weekend.
With City’s clash not due to kick-off until 4.30pm GMT on Sunday, fans will discover their side’s potential semi-final rivals before full-time. ManchesterWorld has put together all you need to know about the FA Cup semi-final draw.
When is the FA Cup semi-final draw?
The draw for the FA Cup semi-final fixtures will be held this Sunday, March 30th, following the result of Preston North End vs Aston Villa, the penultimate quarter-final clash. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 13.30 GMT, so the draw will not take place before 15.30 — the time could also be pushed back if the Deepdale clash requires extra time and penalties.
How to watch the FA Cup semi-final draw
BBC One will show the FA Cup semi-final draw live as part of the coverage of Preston vs Villa. You can also stream it live on the BBC iPlayer and keep up to date via social media and live news feeds.
FA Cup semi-final draw ball numbers
The confirmed ball numbers for the respective qualifying teams are as follows:
Fulham or Crystal Palace
Preston North End or Aston Villa
AFC Bournemouth or Manchester City
Brighton & Hove Albion or Nottingham Forest
When are the FA Cup semi-finals?
After the FA Cup quarter-finals are played and the final four are decided, the teams will battle it out for their spot at Wembley. The semi-finals are due to take place on Saturday, April 26th, with the final scheduled for May 17th.
Man City latest injury news
Guardiola has confirmed Ederson is back in training but admitted he will be considering his options between the sticks for the clash against Bournemouth. Rodri has also returned to individual training but will not be risked as he continues to recovery from his ACL injury.
“It will be nice if he could play tomorrow but we don’t want to do a wrong decision right now and take a step back,” Guardiola said ahead of Sunday’s visit down south. The doctor says he’s injured for six, seven months. He’s behaving really well on the pitch already. Competitive [football] is completely different. We will see. I rely on what the physios and the doctor say. We don’t want to use him for two weeks and then not have him for a long time afterwards. We have to make sure that he’s fine.”
Nathan Ake and John Stones remain out of action through injury, while Manuel Akanji is also working his way back from an injury. Oscar Bobb is back in training following a broken leg and Bernardo Silva was fit to feature for Portugal during the international break after concerns were raised during the Brighton clash.
In other news,This is how many points Man City need to finish above Chelsea, Newcastle & Aston Villa - according to Opta