Six Premier League clubs remain in contention as the 2026 FA Cup quarter-finals arrive. Manchester City will host Liverpool in a headline fixture, while Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham, and Leeds United also compete for a place at Wembley. This weekend’s ties highlight the ongoing dominance of England’s top flight in domestic cup competitions.
Manchester City approach their quarter-final against Liverpool after defeating Arsenal 2-0 in the League Cup final before the international break. That result was widely regarded as one of City’s best performances this season. Pep Guardiola’s side are still on course to replicate their historic domestic treble from 2018/19, having already secured this season’s League Cup and with their premier league ambitions intact. If City win their game in hand over Crystal Palace and then beat Arsenal at the Etihad, the current nine-point gap at the top could narrow significantly.
On Saturday, Liverpool face a pivotal test away at City. The match is set to be Mohamed Salah’s final trip to the Etihad as a Liverpool player, following his announcement over the international break that he will leave Anfield at the end of the season. Salah has scored 255 goals for Liverpool and is aiming to end his nine-year spell with more silverware. Manager Arne Slot will be under scrutiny during this period.
Liverpool currently sit fifth in the league and have only the FA Cup and Champions League left as realistic opportunities for trophies this season.
Slot acknowledged Salah’s legacy ahead of this decisive stretch. “Hopefully he can make his legacy even more special in the upcoming weeks and months where we still play for something special, but he will always leave this club as a legend,” Slot said. The rest of Liverpool’s season includes two legs against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals on April 8 and 14.
The two league meetings between Manchester City and Liverpool this campaign have been high-scoring affairs. City won 3-0 at home in one of those matches, although Virgil van Dijk saw an equaliser ruled out by VAR just before half-time.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are favoured to reach another semi-final as they face lower-league opposition. After being outclassed by City in the Carabao Cup final, Mikel Arteta’s side remain contenders on three fronts: Premier League, FA Cup, and European competition. Both Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice withdrew from international duty with England ahead of this run-in. However, details about their availability for club action have not been disclosed.
Chelsea are also expected to progress when they take on Port Vale, a team currently bottom of League One and facing relegation to the fourth tier. Despite being strong favourites on paper, Chelsea are navigating significant off-field challenges. Four consecutive league defeats have intensified pressure on manager Liam Rosenior less than three months into his tenure. Additionally, Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella have publicly criticised January’s sacking of Enzo Maresca.
Financial issues continue to loom large over Chelsea after they posted a Premier League record pre-tax loss of £262.4 million for the year ending June 30. This has fueled speculation about possible player sales during the summer transfer window.
West Ham United and Leeds United round out the Premier League representation in these quarter-finals, as both sides temporarily shelve their relegation concerns to focus on reaching Wembley.
No specific squad updates or injury news were reported for either team ahead of their respective ties.
This weekend’s matches confirm that all four FA Cup quarter-final ties feature Premier League clubs, with only Port Vale representing a lower division. The competitive gulf between England’s elite sides and those further down the football pyramid remains pronounced at this stage of the competition.
