Chelsea will strive to add to Manchester United’s misery when the two sides clash in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend.
The Red Devils, still reeling from their agonising UEFA Champions League last 16 exit against Real Madrid on Tuesday, will have their hands full against their bitter rivals at the Old Trafford.
Chelsea have little or no chance of catching United in the Premier League title race and winning the FA Cup for the fifth time in seven seasons would offer some solace for the holders and their beleaguered interim manager, Rafael Benitez.
Things did not improve for Chelsea on Thursday, however, when they slumped to a 0-1 defeat at Steaua Bucharest in the UEFA Europa League.
Elsewhere, Manchester City host Championship struggling side, Barnsley at the Etihad Stadium.
The FA Cup represents Roberto Mancini’s last realistic chance to win some silverware in a disappointing season.
Even the City boss has admitted that his team have only a faint opportunity of making up the 12-point gap to United in the league.
Everton must not underestimate struggling Wigan when they meet at Goodison Park in another FA Cup pairing.
David Moyes’ team are 21 points ahead of Wigan in the Premier League, but that will count for nothing in the Cup, especially after two testing league encounters with the Latics this season.
There will be at least one second-tier team in the semi-finals as Millwall face fellow Championship club, Blackburn, at the Den.
Both sides have struggled of late, but Blackburn’s Manager, Michael Appleton, believes the return to fitness of former Newcastle striker, Leon Best, could make the difference against 2004 Cup runners-up, Millwall.
Fixtures
March 8
Spanish Primera División
8:30 PM – Real Betis vs Osasuna
Italian Serie A
7:45 PM – Genoa vs AC Milan
German Bundesliga
7:30 PM – FC Augsburg vs Nurnberg
French Ligue 1
7:30 PM – Stade Rennes vs St Etienne
Dutch Eredivisie
7:00 PM – FC Groningen vs NAC Breda
Portuguese Liga
8:00 PM – FC Porto vs Estoril
Russian Premier League
9:30 AM – Volga Nizhny Novgorod vs Kuban Krasnodar
12:00 PM – Krasnodar vs FK Amkar Perm’
Turkish Super Lig
6:00 PM – Galatasaray vs Genclerbirligi
March 9
English FA Cup
12:45 PM – Everton vs Wigan
5:30 PM – Man City vs Barnsley
Barclays Premier League
Postponed – West Ham P-P Man U
Postponed – Man City P-P Wigan
3:00 PM – Norwich vs Southampton
3:00 PM – QPR vs Sunderland
3:00 PM – Reading vs Aston Villa
3:00 PM – West Brom vs Swansea
English League Championship
3:00 PM – Birmingham vs Derby County
3:00 PM – Bolton vs Brighton & Hove Albion
3:00 PM – Bristol City vs Middlesbrough
3:00 PM – Crystal Palace vs Leeds
3:00 PM – Huddersfield Town vs Charlton
3:00 PM – Leicester City vs Sheffield Wednesday
3:00 PM – Nottingham vs Wolves
3:00 PM – Peterborough vs Ipswich
3:00 PM – Watford vs Blackpool
Scottish Premier League
3:00 PM – Aberdeen vs Motherwell
3:00 PM – Dundee vs Inverness
3:00 PM – Ross County vs Celtic
3:00 PM – Johnstone vs Kilmarnock
3:00 PM – St Mirren vs Dundee United
Spanish Primera División
3:00 PM – Vallecano vs Espanyol
5:00 PM – Valladolid vs Malaga
7:00 PM – Barcelona vs Deportivo
9:00 PM – Mallorca vs Sevilla
Italian Serie A
7:45 PM – Udinese vs AS Roma
German Bundesliga
2:30 PM – Bayern vs Fortuna
2:30 PM – Mainz vs Leverkusen
2:30 PM – Freiburg vs Wolfsburg
2:30 PM – Schalke 04 vs Dortmund
2:30 PM – Greuther Furth vs Hoffenheim
5:30 PM – Monchengladbach vs Bremen
French Ligue 1
4:00 PM – PSG vs AS Nancy
7:00 PM – AC Ajaccio vs Lorient
7:00 PM – Brest vs Toulouse
7:00 PM – Gaillard vs Sochaux
7:00 PM – Troyes vs Reims
7:00 PM – Valenciennes vs Lille
Dutch Eredivisie
5:45 PM – Heerenveen vs PSV
6:45 PM – Heracles Almelo vs NEC
6:45 PM – Willem II vs Venlo
7:45 PM – Alkmaar vs Den Haag
Portuguese Liga
6:00 PM – Braga vs Maritimo
8:15 PM – Academica vs Sporting
Russian Premier League
9:30 AM – Dinamo vs Lokomotiv
Postponed – Anzhi P-P Samara Kryliya Sovetov
Postponed – CSKA P-P Krasnodar
Postponed – FK Amkar Perm’ P-P Alania Vladikavkaz
Postponed – FK Rostov-Na-Donu P-P Volga Nizhny Novgorod
Postponed – Kuban Krasnodar P-P Dinamo Moscow
12:00 PM – PFK Samara Kryliya Sovetov vs CSKA Moscow
Postponed – Terek Grozny P-P FK Rubin Kazan
Postponed – Zenit St Petersburg P-P Mordovia Saransk
2:30 PM – Alania Vladikavkaz vs FK Rostov-Na-Donu
Turkish Super Lig
5:00 PM – Elazigspor vs Orduspor
5:00 PM – Fenerbahce vs Bursaspor
5:00 PM – Gaziantepspor vs Akhisar Belediye
5:00 PM – Istanbul Buyuksehir BSK vs Kayserispor
5:00 PM – Karabukspor vs Eskisehirspor K
5:00 PM – Mersin Idmanyurdu vs Kasimpasa
5:00 PM – Sivasspor vs Antalyaspor
5:00 PM – Trabzonspor vs Besiktas
Greek Super League
3:15 PM – Asteras Tripoli vs Panthrakikos
3:15 PM – Panathinaikos vs Kerkyra
5:30 PM – Platanias vs PAOK Salonika
Belgian Jupiler League
7:00 PM – Anderlecht vs KV Mechelen
7:00 PM – Cercle Brugge KSV vs RAEC Bergen Mons
7:00 PM – KSC Lokeren vs Royal Charleroi SC
7:00 PM – Lierse SK vs KV Kortrijk
7:00 PM – OH Leuven vs Standard Liege
7:00 PM – Racing Genk vs KAA Gent
7:00 PM – Waasland-Beveren vs Germinal Beerschot
7:00 PM – Zulte-Waregem vs Club Brugge
Major League Soccer
6:30 PM – Toronto FC vs Kansas City
11:00 PM – Colorado vs Philadelphia Union
12:00 AM – DC United vs Real Salt Lake
12:30 AM – Chicago vs New England
12:30 AM – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Columbus
4:30 AM – Portland Timbers vs Montreal Impact
March 10
English FA Cup
3:00 PM – Millwall vs Blackburn Rovers
5:30 PM – Manchester United vs Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
Postponed – Fulham P-P Chelsea
4:00 PM – Newcastle United vs Stoke City
5:00 PM – Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur
Scottish Premier League
1:45 PM – Hibernian vs Heart of Midlothian
Spanish Primera División
12:00 PM – Bilbao vs Valencia
5:00 PM – Levante vs Getafe
7:00 PM – Celta Vigo vs Real
9:00 PM – Atletico vs Real Sociedad
Italian Serie A
12:30 PM – Atalanta vs US Pescara
3:00 PM – Cagliari vs Sampdoria
3:00 PM – Chievo Verona vs Napoli
3:00 PM – Juventus vs Catania
3:00 PM – Palermo vs Siena
3:00 PM – Parma vs Torino
8:45 PM – Internazionale vs Bologna
8:45 PM – Lazio vs Fiorentina
German Bundesliga
3:30 PM – Hannover 96 vs Eintracht Frankfurt
5:30 PM – VfB Stuttgart vs Hamburg SV
French Ligue 1
2:00 PM – Nice vs Montpellier
5:00 PM – Bordeaux vs Bastia
9:00 PM – Lyon vs Marseille
Dutch Eredivisie
12:30 PM – Roda JC Kerkrade vs Feyenoord Rotterdam
2:30 PM – Ajax Amsterdam vs PEC Zwolle
2:30 PM – FC Utrecht vs RKC Waalwijk
4:30 PM – Twente Enschede vs Vitesse Arnhem
Portuguese Liga
5:00 PM – CD Nacional de Madeira vs Rio Ave
5:00 PM – Moreirense vs Olhanense
7:00 PM – Paços de Ferreira vs Beira Mar
9:15 PM – Benfica vs Gil Vicente
Russian Premier League
10:30 AM – Spartak Moscow vs Terek Grozny