FA Cup semifinals schedule: Fixtures, when, where, what time, which channel - all you need to know

Four of the top six, four teams with a global following, three of them from London, one from Manchester.

This year, there are no fairtytale teams, no minnow, looking to punch above their weight. The two semifinals of the FA Cup will be about four heavyweight sides battling it out for an opportunity at winning the most coveted cup title in England.

Chelsea vs Tottenham and Arsenal vs Manchester City are the two FA Cup semifinal fixtures, and what these two games promise is entertainment, and plenty of it.

Here is a look at the two matches, with the date, time, venue, TV listings – an everything you need to know.

Chelsea vs Tottenham:

Date: Saturday, April 22.

 

Time: 5.15pm BST, 9.45pm IST, 12.15pm ET, 6.15pm CET.

 

Venue: Wembley, London.

Antonio Conte's side might still be the leaders of the English Premier League, but that air of invincibility has certainly gone for a holiday. Four points is what separates them from their FA Cup semifinal opponents, and while the result of this match will have no physical bearing on the Premier League title race, it could have big psychological repercussions.

Beat Chelsea, and beat them like Manchester United did last Sunday, and Spurs might just have the psychological edge going into the final six games of the Premier League season.

Get beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinals, and Tottenham, unable to recover from the disappointment, might just fade away in the title race, much like they did last season, when they were fighting it out with Leicester City.

The Blues looked a little worse for wear against Manchester United, almost as if the pressure of keeping the lead was getting to them. And as much as Chelsea might want to blame the loss on illness spreading through the squad, there is no denying that they were outthought and outfought by United.

Tottenham did the same to them when the two sides met in January in the Premier League, with Mauricio Pochettino going for a like-for-like formation and, with it, nullifying the threats posed by Chelsea.

With Spurs' fullbacks in that game – Kyle Walker and Danny Rose –constantly bombing forward, Chelsea's key attacking weapons – Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses – were forced to defend for long periods, which helped Spurs keep a clean sheet.

So, Pochettino knows how to beat this Chelsea team quiet, and with more than just an FA Cup final at stake, can the Argentine outthink Conte again?

TV listings: UK: BBC One. India: Ten 1. USA: Fox Sports. Australia: ESPN. Canada: Sportsnet World. Singapore: Eleven. Malaysia: Astro SuperSport 4. Middle East: Bein Sports Arabia 2 and 11.

Arsenal vs Manchester City:

 

Date: Sunday, April 23.

 

Time: 3pm BST, 7.30pm IST, 10am ET, 4pm CET.

 

Venue: Wembley, London.

A club in peril, with the majority of the fans wanting change against a club in transition, with a much-vaunted manager looking to inculcate his ethos into the side for the long-term success of the club.

A fading manager vs the highly-rated one, keen to show he can do it in England and with plenty of competition.

A club desperate for some kind of success after an awful season vs a club in need of a trophy to validate the time and amount spent on hiring the in-demand manager of football.

So, plenty at stake then as Arsenal and Manchester City, two teams that play the most eye-catching football in the Premier League, do battle at Wembley.

This will most likely be a contest of attack vs attack, with the defence likely to be left exposed time and again. Going by form and the potency in attack at the moment, Manchester City should win this game.

TV listings: UK: BT Sport 1. India: Ten 1. USA: Fox Sports 1. Australia: ESPN. Canada: Sportsnet World. Singapore: Eleven. Malaysia: Astro SuperSport 4. Middle East: Bein Sports Arabia 2 and 11.