And then there were eight. The 2020/2021 FA Cup quarter-finals is now upon us, and eight teams: Bournemouth, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, Manchester City, Manchester United, Sheffield United, and Southampton will all be vying for the chance to lift the coveted trophy.
One notable absentee is Arsenal. The Gunners, who are the most decorated side in this competition with 14 titles, won't have a chance to successfully defend their crown after being dumped out in the fourth round at the hands of Southampton.
In any case, fellow "Big Six" sides Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United will be among the octet of sides looking to book their spot at the showcase event on May 15th at Wembley Stadium. But until then, everyone will need to first earn a ticket to the semi-finals.
And fans in Australia will be able to watch all the games, starting from Saturday, March 20th thanks to ESPN and its platforms.
First up on the menu will be a showdown between Bournemouth and Southampton, with a kick-off time scheduled for 23.10 AEDT (11.10 PM) on Saturday, March 20th. Bournemouth, who are the only non-Premier League side remaining in this competition, will be hoping to pull off an upset against a Southampton side who have been quite poor in the Premier League, but have fared better in the FA Cup. Make sure you tune in to ESPN for full match coverage.
After that, it's two famed tacticians going toe-to-toe as Carlo Ancelotti's Everton lock horns with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. This game is an early one, starting at 04.25 AEDT on Sunday, March 21st, but hopefully you don't have any serious commitments later on so you can tune in to ESPN2 to follow all the action.
However, if waking up at 4 AM isn't your thing, no worries. You can catch a replay of the Everton vs Manchester City tie at 20.00 AEDT (8.00 PM) on ESPN2. ESPN2 will also be providing a replay of the Bournemouth vs. Southampton clash immediately after, at 22.00 AEDT (10.00 PM).
Monday, March 22nd will feature an early morning double-header on ESPN2. First, it's Chelsea, now led by Thomas Tuchel, going to battle against Sheffield United at 00.25 AEDT (12.25 AM) who sit bottom of the Premier League with just 14 points. To complicate matters, the Blades recently sacked manager Chris Wilder on March 13th, leaving interim boss Paul Heckingbottom with the unenviable task of rallying the team ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge.
And finally, a juicy one to wrap up this season's FA Cup quarter-finals: Leicester City vs Manchester United. Again, ESPN2 will be providing full coverage of the highlight game, with kick-off expected at 03.55 AEDT.
Replays of both the Chelsea-Sheffield United and Leicester City-Manchester United games will be featured on ESPN2 at 17.30 AEDT (5.30 PM) and 19.30 AEDT (7.30 PM) respectively.
Make sure you don't miss out on FA Cup action by bookmarking our bespoke match page.
