A weird quirk has come to light following a point made by the Yorkshire Evening Post, regarding the potential progression of a number of second-tier sides in the FA Cup.
While a longshot, should any of Leeds United, Southampton, Leicester City or Coventry City progress to the FA Cup Final, they may face a fixture clash. The final of the world’s oldest domestic competition is pencilled in the calendar for Saturday May 25.
Also scheduled for that weekend is the Championship Play-Off Final, with the date set as Sunday May 26. Now the chances of any of the above-mentioned sides featuring in this game are much more likely, as three of the sides occupy the top four places in the second tier.
So one of these clubs could be looking at playing two games in two days, which obviously would never be allowed to occur, particularly due to the magnitude of both games. According to the YEP, the EFL do have a contingency plan in place if this scenario occurred, but they didn’t disclose exactly what that entails. The FA did not comment on the matter at this time.
The chances of this occurring remain slim; the odds are quoted at are 200/1. While it would take an upset for one side to overcome Premier League opposition to make the final eight, you only have to go back twelve months to find four EFL sides still in the competition at the Quarter-Final stage. And Sheffield United took it one further by making the Semi-Finals before being overcome by Manchester City; the Blades also won promotion that season.
Take a look below to delve a little deeper into the chances of both scenarios occurring…
Chances of a Team Involved in the Play-Offs
Despite losing to closest rivals Leeds United on Friday evening, Leicester City still have a six-point buffer over both the Whites and Ipswich Town. While now unlikely to break Reading’s 106-point record of most points in a Championship campaign, they still remain the favourites for promotion and the title.
Leeds United are hot on their heels, boosted immeasurably by their performance in the final ten minutes at Elland Road last week. The atmosphere during their heavyweight clash reached fever pitch, and the post-match celebrations matched the magnitude of the result. That was a remarkable ninth win in a row, which has propelled them into the top two. Ipswich remain hot on their heels though, and the fact that Keiran McKenna’s side may not even win promotion this term is a travesty for the neutral.
Southampton are perhaps the likeliest of the four at the moment to be involved in the Play-Offs, after three losses in four have seen them slip away from the automatic promotion places. They now trail the top two places by five points, a gap that will be extremely tough to make back up with twelve games to go. With games against the three sides currently above them to play, including a tantalising trip to West Yorkshire on a final day, these fixtures will go some way to deciding where the Saints finish. Their place in the top six though is almost certain, with a fifteen-point gap to Norwich City in seventh.
Chances of a Team Progressing to the Quarter-Finals
Leicester City face the most favourable tie on paper, and a game which will be a good marker to show where they are at in terms of how they fare against top-flight opposition. They travel to AFC Bournemouth this evening, with the Cherries sitting fourteenth, eight points clear of the bottom three. With chances of relegation fairly slim, Andoni Iraola will likely opt for a strong lineup given his side are only two wins from a Wembley appearance.
Leeds meanwhile face a tough trip to face Chelsea, renewing their old rivalry in West London on Wednesday night. Despite the Blues’ well-documented issues on and off the pitch, they still have plenty of quality in all areas and reached a domestic final only last Sunday. Daniel Farke may be able to use that to his advantage, as extra-time and losing so late against Liverpool will have taken its toll on Mauricio Pochettino’s men. The former Tottenham manager is also under pressure to deliver some silverware in an otherwise dismal campaign, so if Leeds can score the first goal then Stamford Bridge may quickly become toxic.
Southampton face off against the other side involved in the League Cup Final on Sunday. Liverpool are suffering from numerous notable absences, and will have been hit hard by the depths they had to go to three days before this fixture to grind out the win. That though was the first of four trophies that Jurgen Klopp is looking to win in his final season at the helm, and the Saints have a mammoth task on their hands to defeat the Reds on their own patch.
Wildcard
Of course, an EFL side has already made the Quarter-Finals of the competition. Coventry City secured their passage to the next stage for only the third time since they won the cup in 1987, putting five past Maidstone United without reply. And the Sky Blues also have aspirations of a second successive Play-Off Final, sitting four points off sixth-placed Hull City. Their hopes though took a hit on Friday evening when Preston North End scored three first-half goals to leapfrog Mark Robins’ side.
Writer’s View
Looking at the club most likely to achieve this, Coventry City actually appear to have the greatest chance. Their progression has already been secured, and they will fancy their chances of another appearance under the arch at the end of the campaign as they were in good form before that defeat to the Lilywhites.
Leicester should still win the title, while Leeds look a good bet to join them in the Premier League next term, not to discount Ipswich’s chances. Southampton have dropped off in recent weeks, and while they should still make the Play-Offs, overcoming Liverpool tomorrow looks to be a step too far at the moment. What is certain is that nothing is yet decided, and the impossible could become possible.
