The quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup present a clear pathway to Wembley and a chance for silverware for the leading contenders. Three heavyweights stand out as favourites, while Premier League challengers and a League One side aim to upset the balance.

Cardiff City have a reputation for overperforming in this competition. The Welsh side, who were in the Championship when they reached the 2011–12 final via a favourable run of fixtures, pushed Liverpool to penalties in the showpiece before suffering heartbreak. Now fighting to escape League One, the Carabao Cup has not been a distraction; Swindon Town, Cheltenham, Burnley and Wrexham have all been discarded en route to the last eight. Their reward is a visit from Chelsea.

Chelsea have made life difficult for themselves in cup ties away to Lincoln City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Enzo Maresca should name a fairly strong team for the trip to Wales. If the Italian selects even a handful of regular starters, they should conquer Cardiff with little fuss. The Bluebirds will be keen to see a much-changed Chelsea teamsheet on Tuesday, offering hope of a surprise result, but a convincing defeat is the most likely outcome. Prediction: Cardiff 1–3 Chelsea.

Manchester City arrive brimming with confidence and represent a stern test for Brentford. Pep Guardiola’s men have claimed victory in five successive matches and, after their 2–1 win over Real Madrid, they breezed past Crystal Palace on the road last weekend. City have won the trophy four times under Guardiola and dominated the competition between 2018 and 2021, though they have not progressed beyond the last eight since. Brentford possess attacking options in Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara, but an alarming away record in the league — seven defeats from eight — undermines their hopes. Prediction: Man City 3–0 Brentford.

Newcastle, who lifted the trophy last season, face Fulham. Eddie Howe’s side beat Fulham 2–1 at St James’ Park this term with Bruno Guimarães’s last-gasp strike in October. Fulham, inspired by Harry Wilson at times, can threaten, but Newcastle should prevail at home. Prediction: Newcastle 2–1 Fulham.

Arsenal host Crystal Palace a week later because Palace are in the Europa Conference League. Palace have enjoyed two days out at Wembley in the past seven months, conquering Man City in the FA Cup final and beating Liverpool in the Community Shield. Arsenal beat Palace 1–0 on home soil earlier this season and, despite Palace’s capacity to defy the odds, the Gunners should reach the semis. Prediction: Arsenal 2–0 Crystal Palace.

Real Madrid and Manchester City have met ten times on the Champions League stage in the last five years, producing a sequence of tightly contested and decisive encounters.

The 2024–25 knockout playoff produced a standout second leg at the Bernabéu, where Kylian Mbappé scored in the fourth minute, doubled his side’s lead just after the half hour and completed a 61st-minute hat trick. He became the first player in Champions League history to score thrice at the Bernabéu and the Camp Nou. Nico González scored late but Madrid advanced on the night.

That tie had begun at the Etihad with both sides out of form. Erling Haaland and Mbappé traded early blows. Haaland thought he had sealed the game from the spot in the 80th minute, but Brahim Díaz and Jude Bellingham responded with two goals in six minutes to give Real Madrid the advantage heading to the return leg.

On Apr. 17, 2024 at the Etihad, Rodrygo opened in the 12th minute and Kevin De Bruyne levelled in the 76th. The match remained tied after extra time and was decided on penalties, where Andriy Lunin saved spot kicks from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovačić to eliminate the defending champions.

The Bernabéu first leg of the 2023–24 quarterfinal featured an early Bernardo Silva strike, a Rúben Dias own goal and Rodrygo’s response. Phil Foden and Joško Gvardiol put City ahead before Federico Valverde forced a draw.

On May 13, 2023, City overwhelmed Real Madrid in the second leg of the 2022–23 semifinals. Bernardo Silva scored twice in the first half, with Manuel Akanji and Julián Alvarez adding further goals to seal a comprehensive victory that propelled City to the final.

The 2022–23 first leg saw Vinicius Junior score in the 36th minute and De Bruyne equalise from nearly the same area. The 2021–22 return in Madrid produced Rodrygo’s two late goals to force extra time and Karim Benzema’s penalty in extra time completed a memorable comeback.

Their 2021–22 first leg at the Etihad finished 4–3 after a flood of goals from both sides. In 2019–20, the round of 16 ties were split: the first leg ended 2–1 to City after a De Bruyne penalty and a late red for Sergio Ramos; the second leg at empty stands saw Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus secure a 2–1 win following Raphaël Varane errors and a Benzema reply.

Across these ten matches, small margins and dramatic swings repeatedly decided who advanced.

A compact midweek schedule left Premier League sides playing three games in seven days, producing surprise results and notable individual displays. Using FotMob’s match ratings, these five performances from Gameweek 15 stood out.

Anthony Gordon influenced Newcastle United’s 2–1 win over ten-man Burnley on Saturday. Newcastle’s victory was routine for long periods, aside from a nervy spell after Burnley were awarded a spot kick, and Gordon was central to the attack. He scored from the penalty spot, completed more dribbles (3) than anyone on the pitch, hit the woodwork twice and created two chances. His showing even managed to outshine teammate Bruno Guimarães.

Xavi Simons provided Tottenham Hotspur with a goal and an assist against Brentford. Simons supplied a pinpoint cross for Richarlison’s tap-in opener, then produced a composed solo finish. He recovered possession in his own half, robbed Brentford, sped into the penalty area and slid the ball beyond Caoimhín Kelleher. The result will give Tottenham optimism that Simons can build momentum after a quiet start to English football.

Hugo Ekitiké was one bright figure in Liverpool’s 3–3 draw with Leeds United. Starting ahead of Alexander Isak, the French forward troubled Leeds throughout and made decisive contributions in the second half. He capitalised on a misplaced pass from Joe Rodon to score into the bottom corner, and then converted Conor Bradley’s cross with the aid of a ricochet off Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

Rayan Cherki produced an eye-catching performance in Manchester City’s 3–0 win over Sunderland. Limited earlier by an early-season injury, he displayed a range of flicks and tricks and provided a rabona assist for Phil Foden. He also registered a second assist that owed much to Rúben Dias’s long-range effort. Cherki completed more dribbles (5) and created more chances (6) than any other player on the pitch, and he played a key role in breaking down Sunderland’s five-man rearguard.