OXFORD, ENGLAND - JANUARY 10: General view of a cardboard FA Cup trophy during The Emirates FA Cup match between Oxford United and Swansea City at Kassam Stadium on January 10, 2016 in Oxford, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Everton earned a date with Chelsea while Watford await the winner of the still to be scheduled Arsenal-Hull replay as the draw was held for the quarterfinals of this year's FA Cup. The games, to be held across the weekend of March 12th, will also see Reading hosting Crystal Palace, and the winner of Monday's Manchester United/Shrewsbury tie will host West Ham.
Reading and Shrewsbury, for now, are the two lone survivors from the lower divisions, and both could be rewarded with a profitable fixture with a visit from a Premier League club.
But intrigue still surrounds the Arsenal-Hull fixture, the only tie to go to replay after a grim 0-0 draw Saturday. Tentatively scheduled for March 8, the game is brutal for both teams. Arsenal have a packed schedule with a game Tuesday against Barcelona then league matches against Manchester United and Tottenham; while Hull, atop the Championship by a point and with a game in hand, also have four big games to play between now and then.
The marquee tie of the round looks to be at Goodison, where Joel Robles backstopped the Toffees to a big 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday. Chelsea swept aside Manchester City 5-1 in a game that saw Manuel Pellegrini field a team largely comprised of youth players. Both Everton and Chelsea are desperate for some silverware out of this season, and both are expected to make a serious run at the Cup.
West Ham, the big winners on the weekend with a sweeping 5-1 demolition of lower-tier Blackburn, also look to making a run at the Cup. While they are likely to face Manchester United in the next round, few fear Old Trafford these days and the Londoners are likely to think they can get a result.
The FA Cup quarterfinal draw in full:
Reading vs. Crystal Palace
Everton vs. Chelsea
Arsenal/Hull City vs. Watford
Manchester United/Shrewsbury vs. West Ham
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