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SuperSport action: English Premier League, FA Cup and Serie A thrills
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The first semifinal in this weekend’s FA Cup action sees Chelsea face Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on the evening of Saturday, April 17. The Blues are looking to return to the FA Cup final for a second successive year (after their defeat to Arsenal last season), while the Citizens were last in the final in 2019, when they famously thrashed Watford 6-0.
The teams last met in a Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge earlier this year, with City claiming a 3-1 away win thanks to goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has high expectation of his players
"I trust my players so much. They don't trust me but I trust them with their quality!" said City boss, Pep Guardiola coming into this clash, while Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is enjoying his side’s FA Cup adventurem, but wants “more precision” going forward: “We need to catch the momentum to be sharper, to be closer and to be more aggressive,” said the German tactician.
The second semifinal on Sunday, April 18 sees Wembley Stadium host a clash between Leicester City and Southampton – the two dark horses for the trophy. The Foxes showed their pedigree by putting out Manchester United in the previous round, but they would do well not to underestimate a Saints side which can afford to put all of their effort and intensity into this clash.
“I think we have shown in the FA Cup against Bournemouth, okay only a Championship team, but even there we have shown what made us strong and how we can play,” said Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttle. “We expect a much tougher game now against Leicester, but (we must have) the same behaviours and same effort, then we have a chance to win against them.”
Brendan Rodgers hopes to take Leicester to their first FA Cup final since 1969
City manager Brendan Rodgers, meanwhile, is hoping to make history with the Foxes, as the club’s best showing in the FA Cup is four runners-up finishes in 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969.
“We are in the semifinal and we have a chance to get to the final and create history,” Rodgers said. “For the club to get to the final and win the trophy would be really special. It’s a trophy in their history they haven’t won. It’s a tough game in the semifinal but the club has never won the FA Cup so to be able to do something like that will be special.”
The weekend also features a must-win game for Newcastle United at home to high-flying West Ham United, Arsenal hosting Fulham for a London derby, and Manchester United hosting Burnley at Old Trafford.
The evening of Monday, April 19 is headlined by a potential thriller between Leeds United and Liverpool -– the teams played out an amazing 4-3 win for the Reds at Anfield when they met back in September 2020 -– while the remainder of the week features the FA Cup semifinalists catching up games, as Chelsea host Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, Manchester City visit Aston Villa on Wednesday and Leicester host West Bromwich Albion on Thursday.
The headline fixture from Serie A this weekend sees league leaders Internazionale head to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on the evening of Sunday, April 18 to face hosts Napoli.
While Inter are looking to push themselves closer to a first Serie A title in more than a decade (their last came back in 2010 as part of the treble they won under Jose Mourinho), Napoli are in a scrap for a berth in next season’s UEFA Champions League with Milan, Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio and Roma.
Title Beckons: Antonio Conte wants Inter Milan players to avoid complacency
The Nerazzurri boss Antonio Conte knows that the Scudetto is close for his team, but has warned against complacency in this final stretch of the season.
“We know full well that Serie A is very difficult and every match is a battle to get the victory. The closer we get to the finish line, the clearer we can see the prize at the end,” said Conte. “Everyone is looking at that direction and we see it from a different angle to the others right now, but we still have it all to do. We've achieved nothing yet.”
Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso wants his side to keep their heads down and “think of one opponent at a time” as they focus on their goal of finishing in the top four of the standings. The Neapolitans boss has come under fire from many quarters this season, but a Champions League qualification amidst such tough competition would be a fine achievement.
Elsewhere in Serie A this weekend, that top-four battle will see a key clash between Atalanta and Juventus in Bergamo, with even Bianconeri stalwart Giorgio Chiellini admitting that hopes of winning the league are gone.
“We have to stay united and do as little talking as possible. Let’s avoid proclamations, instead working day after day. We must go forward and try to do our best so we can achieve an important target for us, a Champions League place,” said the defender.
The round also sees Torino scrapping for their lives in a home clash with Roma, Lazio hosting Benevento and Milan looking to claim three vital points at home to Genoa, with Ivorian Franck Kessie set to play a major role for the Rossoneri once again.
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FA Cup semifinal fixtures and broadcast details
Saturday, April 17
18:30 CAT: Chelsea v Manchester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Sunday, April 18
19:30 CAT: Leicester City v Southampton – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
English Premier League fixtures and broadcast details
Saturday, April 17
13:30 CAT: Newcastle United v West Ham United – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
16:00 CAT: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Sunday, April 18
14:30 CAT: Arsenal v Fulham – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
17:00 CAT: Manchester United v Burnley
Monday, April 19
21:00 CAT: Leeds United v Liverpool – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Tuesday, April 20
21:00: Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Wednesday, April 21
21:15: Aston Villa v Manchester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Thursday, April 22
21:00: Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Serie A fixtures and broadcast details
Saturday, April 17
15:00 CAT: Crotone v Udinese – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3
15:00 CAT: Sampdoria v Hellas Verona – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
18:00 CAT: Sassuolo v Fiorentina – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
20:45 CAT: Cagliari v Parma – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Sunday April, 18
12:30 CAT: Milan v Genoa – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
15:00 CAT: Bologna v Spezia – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 2
15:00 CAT: Lazio v Benevento – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
15:00 CAT: Atalanta v Juventus – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
18:00 CAT: Torino v Roma – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
20:45 CAT: Napoli v Internazionale – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1