MATCH! 15 March 2022

CRYSTAL PALACE V EVERTON Palace are aiming to reach their first semi-final since 2016 when they lost in the final to Man. United! They’re in safe hands under Patrick Vieira, though – the Eagles gaffer is unbeaten in his last 18 games in the FA Cup as a player and manager. The Toffees were semifinalists in 2016 too, but lost 3-1 at Selhurst Park earlier this season! MIDDLESBROUGH V CHELSEA Middlesbrough have already knocked out two of the Premier League’s traditional “Big Six” in Man. United and Tottenham this season! They’d love to make it a hat-trick against the European champions, and their home advantage could be crucial. The Blues were almost dumped out by Champo club Luton in the last round! SOUTHAMPTON V MAN. CITY Southampton fans will be cursing their luck after being…

Chelsea V Birmingham These sides met in last season’s FA Cup quarter-finals and Chelsea won 4-0! The London club also won 5-0 in the WSL in November! Arsenal V Coventry The WSL’s table toppers are massive favourites at home against the Championship’s bottom side! Rugby score alert? Man. City V Everton Man. City beat Everton 4-0 in the league in September and then thrashed them 5-1 in the League Cup in October. Good luck, Toffees! Ipswich V West Ham It would be a huge “cupset” if third-tier Ipswich somehow managed to knock out Women’s Super League side West Ham!…

EL CLASICO! We’ve got a double dose of Clasicos this fortnight with the men’s La Liga match and this huge Women’s Champions League clash! This is just the second all-Spanish tie in the competition’s history, with a world-record crowd expected to be in attendance for the second leg at the Nou Camp! HEROIC HEGERBERG! France giants Lyon face Juventus in the Italian side’s first appearance in the Women’s CL quarterfinals! We’re shouting out to Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg, who’s been sending out these letters of absence so fans can get time off of work to attend their first-leg clash with Juve! CHAMPION CHALLENGE! Bayern Munich and PSG’s quarter-final meeting pits the reigning German champions against the reigning French champs! They both reached the Women’s Champo League semi-finals last season, but neither side have ever lifted the…

EARLY INFLUENCES! RICE SAYS: “Mymum and dad for sure! My earliest memories are o fmy dad taking me down to the local park to chuck a ball around and have a kick around!” BEST ADVICE! RICE SAYS: “It’s probably from Mark Noble–he’s always there to give yougood advice. I remember after a bad injury he was theone to calm me down and give me a bit of perspective. Iwas back way sooner than expected too!” FAVOURITE-EVER PLAYER! RICE SAYS: “I’d have to say John Terry. His leadership, the way that he applied himself on the pitch–he was everything I wanted to be as a professional footballer!” BEST MATE! RICE SAYS: “It’sprobably got to be Mark Noble! He’s such a huge influence in the dressing room and I’m not sure I would be the same player I’ve been…

THE PATHS PATHWAY A Scotland and Wales were drawn in the same Path, meaning we could have a huge British derby on our hands! Scotland last reached the World Cup in 1998, whereas Wales haven’t qualified for one since 1958. Fortunately both sides do have the advantage of playing their semi-finals at home, so the atmosphere could help them past their opponents! PATHWAY B Path B could see two of Europe’s elite strikers in Robert Lewandowski and Zlatan Ibrahimovic lock horns in the final, in what would also be a repeat of their Group E clash from last summer’s European Champs! Both players see Qatar as their final shot at the World Cup, although Ibra will miss the semi-final due to picking up too many yellow cards in qualifying! PATHWAY C One of the last two…

IS THIS THE WORLD’S BEST SUPERFAN? This bonkers Flamengo fan in Brazil loves his club so much he got their shirt tattooed on to his chest! What’s he gonna do next season when they change strips?! MANAGER MELT DOWN! Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart missed a recent match because he was self-isolating, but he recorded himself watching the game on TV! He got so stressed his dog even tried to calm him down! SOUND EFFECTS! There was areason Nottingham Forest fans were so loud in their recent match against Blackburn–one of their supporters managed to sneak a massive speaker into Ewood Park. Mad! FAN FAIL! Afan from Chile flew 7, 400 miles to watch Ben Brereton Diaz playfor Blackburn–only forthe striker to get injured and the game to be called off! How’s that for luck? “HE’S BEHIND YOU…!” This is…