Summary

  • Recap FPL Q&A special with expert Pras, four-time top-10k finisher

  • All the big Fantasy Premier League talking points before gameweek 34

  • The latest team news before weekend's Premier League and FA Cup semi-finals

  • FA Cup semi-finals: Crystal Palace v Aston Villa (Sat; 17:15 BST) & Nottingham Forest v Man City (Sun; 16:30 BST)

What information do we collect from this quiz?

Live Reporting

Adwaidh Rajan, Holly Bacon, Craig Nelson, Maisie Gallen & Karan Vinod. Edited by Thomas Woods.

  1. Get Involved - FA Cup or Champions League qualification?

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    I’d love nothing more than for Villa to lift the FA Cup, it would be a life-long memory for me and my kids. But sadly, if you miss out on Champions League and the money it brings along for smaller clubs trying to break through the glass ceiling of the so-called “Big 6”, then long-term you’d be miles better off finishing top five and missing out on the cup!

    Jordan, in Abu Dhabi

  2. Weighing up Man City's priorities

    Nottm Forest v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)

    Manchester City

    The FA Cup remains Manchester City's only chance of picking up some silverware this season.

    This is the seventh successive season Manchester City have reached this stage of the competition. They've gone on to reach three finals, winning two of them in 2019 and 2023.

    Securing Champions League football is a big priority for Pep Guardiola's side.

    City sit third in the table on 61 points, four more than sixth-placed Chelsea, who have one game in hand.

    The last time they failed to appear in the Champions League was way back in 2010-11 and Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes said qualifying for the competition was the number one priority in the final weeks of the season.

    "It's important to go and win the semi-final but I think our main goal is the Premier League, to try to qualify for the Champions League," Nunes said after the midweek league win over Villa.

    "We are not looking to the FA Cup as a secondary thing, but our main focus is to win the remaining four league games."

    Matheus NunesGetty Images

  3. 'Lifting trophies is the stuff that you remember'

    Nedum Onuoha
    Former Manchester City defender

    The chance of a trophy is massive, regardless of anything else that is going on.

    Lifting silverware gives truly iconic moments.

    That is the stuff that you remember. For years to come fans recall the starting XIs, the squads, the managers, the run - everything.

  4. Man City's road to FA Cup semi-final

    Nottm Forest v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)

    Manchester City

    Omar Marmoush of Manchester City celebrates scoringGetty Images

    Manchester City began their FA Cup campaign with a game against neighbours Salford City - a game that ended in the League Two side suffering a crushing 8-0 defeat.

    But their fourth-round outing against third-tier Leyton Orient was a much more even contest, with Kevin de Bruyne scoring 11 minutes from time to give them a 2-1 win.

    Championship side Plymouth Argyle visited Etihad Stadium in the next round and stunned Pep Guardiola's side by taking the lead. But Nico O'Reilly scored twice to secure a 3-1 comeback victory for the Premier League side.

    Omar Marmoush was their hero in the last-eight tie against Bournemouth as his shot beat Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Cherries goal to hand them a 2-1 win last month.

    Manchester City's FA Cup run:

    • Third round - Manchester City 8-0 Salford City
    • Fourth round - Leyton Orient 1-2 Manchester City
    • Fifth round - Manchester City 3-1 Plymouth Argyle
    • Quarter-final - Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City

  5. Get Involved - Which clubs have reached three consecutive FA Cup finals?

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Now Shamoon touches on a question there.

    If Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest in Sunday's semi-final, they will reach the FA Cup final for a third consecutive season.

    Can you name the other teams to have managed to make it to three in a row?

    Get in touch with your answers using the contact details above.

  6. Guardiola to face the media

    Nottm Forest v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)

    Shamoon Hafez
    BBC Sport football news reporter

    Manchester City have picked up two significant results in the race to finish in the Premier League top-five and are now strong favourites to compete in the Champions League next season.

    But it has been a difficult campaign overall for Pep Guardiola's men, with their four-year hold on the top-flight trophy possibly coming to an end on Sunday.

    City can, though, retrieve a modicum of satisfaction if they manage to reach a third straight FA Cup final, but will Guardiola feel happy with that or will the campaign remain a disappointment?

    The Spaniard faces the cameras from 12:30 BST.

  7. "Etched in eternity"...when you put it like that David, there really is no contest, is there?

    That was some upset, when Wigan beat Manchester City to win the 2013 FA Cup final.

    That was before Pep Guardiola took charge of City, of course, but you can be sure he will have heard all about it...

    Wigan lift the FA CupGetty Images

  8. Get Involved - FA Cup of Champions League qualification?

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Although it would have done wonders for our finances, Wigan Athletic winning the FA Cup was one of the best days ever. Playing in Europe was nice but it would never beat the emotions on the day and seeing the club's name etched in eternity.

    David

  9. 'We don't accept things like this'

    Brighton v West Ham (Sat 15:00 BST)

    Brighton & Hove Albion

    Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler spoke about his and Joao Pedro's reaction to the striker being sent off for lashing out in a tussle with Brentford's Nathan Collins:

    "Very frustrating. And he immediately apologised that he did something wrong. We had a discussion with him - we don't accept things like this. Also, Joao is a young player and he makes a mistake and hopefully he learnt from this mistake for the future."

    Joao Pedro receives his marching orders.Getty Images

  10. Get Involved - FA Cup or Champions League qualification?

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    City and Villa have to prioritise CL to stay within PSR while sustaining their current method of squad building. Forest and Palace supporters are the ones allowed the luxury of playing for a trophy, which is a shame as they are both also the underdogs.

    Scott

    The sad reality is that the FA Cup win vs Champions League qualification is a bit like winning Employee of the Year and a £1k reward vs getting a £100k performance bonus but no fanfare. One you can display forever, the other can be totally transformative. Ideally you get both!

    Stephan

    I can understand the fans wanting to win the FA Cup when it's a rare event for your club but for a club like Forest they could also be playing Real Madrid next season. So for the fans and the players that would be huge to miss out on.

    Ian

  11. Hurzeler confirms Van Hecke 'not available' for West Ham

    Brighton v West Ham (Sat 15:00 BST)

    Brighton & Hove Albion

    Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Jan Paul van Hecke will miss Saturday's game at home to West Ham after the Dutch defender suffered a head injury in their last match at Brentford:

    "Not available (Jan Paul van Hecke). Everyone saw the foul, it was a tough one and therefore we have to be careful. We can't risk him to play this weekend but I'm sure we follow all the [concussion] protocols and he will be back next week."

    Hurzeler also confirmed that Joel Veltman "will be an option," and Kaoru Mitoma is ready to start.

    Jan Paul van Hecke is carried off on a stretcherGetty Images

  12. Brighton v West Ham (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Brighton & Hove Albion

    Brighton are one of the teams who are still in with an outside chance to make it to Europe.

    And their manager Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media ahead of Saturday's Premier League game against West Ham.

    We will now take a look at what he had to say ahead of the visit of West Ham...

  13. Get Involved - FA Cup or Champions League qualification?

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    FA Cup v CL qualification is a strange one. The FA Cup is one of the 2 meaningful prizes in English football but it’s only third in the list of top clubs’ targets. CL qualification brings more money so increases the chances of being competitive in future years. So, over a short term period of a few seasons, it has to be CL qualification. Over a longer period, a club has to show itself capable of landing at least one of its top three targets.

    Chris

  14. Get Involved

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    And don't forget to send in your messages.

    Today we have been discussing:

    • Your weekend plans - FA Cup semi-finals and Liverpool's expected title party
    • And which you would value more - winning the FA Cup or qualifying for the Champions League?

    Please get in touch about these or any other footballing topic using the contact details above.

    Thanks.

  15. What's coming up?

    Before we turn our attention to the FA Cup semi-finals and manager news conferences, we are just going to bring you the best lines of team news from Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler.

    We will then concentrate on the following FA Cup news conferences:

    • 12:30: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
    • 13:30: Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest)
    • 14:00: Unai Emery (Aston Villa)

    As well as that, we will also bring you team news from the Premier League, with news conferences still to be held today by Bournemouth, Wolves, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton.

  16. 'A nice game to look forward to but also a responsibility'

    Liverpool v Tottenham (Sun, 16:30 BST)

    For those who want to watch and listen to the highlights from Arne Slot's news conference, just click on the play icon in this video below...

    To win the title in front of Liverpool fans is a 'big responsibility' - Slot

  17. Here's a recap of what Slot had to say

    Liverpool v Tottenham (Sun, 16:30 BST)

    Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool during a training sessionGetty Images

    Right, we are going to switch focus from the Premier League to the FA Cup soon.

    We will be hearing from the four managers of the semi-finalists after lunch.

    But before that, let's just sum up the key takeaways from Arne Slot's news conference.

    The Liverpool manager met journalists this morning with his side only needing a point against Tottenham on Sunday to be confirmed Premier League champions.

    Here are the best bits from the Reds manager:

    Liverpool are eyeing their 20th top-flight title in Sunday's 16:30 BST kick-off against a struggling Spurs side.

  18. Howe on 'five-game league'

    Newcastle v Ipswich (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Newcastle United

    Eddie Howe on the Premier League table and Newcastle's quest for Champions League football: “I see it being very tight and possibly going right to the end of the season in terms of competition for top five places.

    "I think we've put ourselves in a very strong position [with] what we've done for a consistent period now in the Premier League - our record has been very good for a long time but now we sort of go into a five-game league really where we’re gonna have to be consistent again and try and get results in some really tough games.

    "We are looking forward to the five games ahead of us, starting against Ipswich [on Saturday], which will not be easy."

  19. Newcastle's battle for Champions League football

    Newcastle v Ipswich (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Karan Vinod
    BBC Sport

    With Eddie Howe returning to duty, Newcastle United have five games remaining to secure Champions League football.

    The top five in the Premier League will qualify for Europe's top-tier competition next season.

    The Magpies are currently in fifth place, occupying the last Champions League qualification spot, but only have a two-point cushion over Chelsea in sixth.

    Let's have a look at Newcastle's remaining fixtures -

    • 26 Apr: Ipswich (H)
    • 04 May: Brighton (A)
    • 11 May: Chelsea (H)
    • 18 May: Arsenal (A)
    • 25 May: Everton (H)

    The league table showcasing Newcastle in fifth spot.Getty Images

  20. Get Involved - your weekend plans?

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Heading to Newcastle to give Eddie Howe a huge welcome back tomorrow and (apologies) hopefully relegate Ipswich while improving our goal difference.

    Mike