Gary Lineker names Premier League club he’d love to see win FA Cup this season
'That would be amazing!'
Former England star and football pundit Gary Lineker has named the one Premier League club he’d love to see win the FA Cup trophy this season.
There are just 18 teams left remaining in the FA Cup with the majority of fourth-round matches now complete after a busy weekend of action.
There are two more games to come before the fifth round, with Doncaster hosting Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest travelling to Exeter City.
The three English teams Lineker featured for in his playing career – Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham – all crashed out in the fourth round this weekend.
Lineker’s beloved Leicester were eliminated by Manchester United on Friday while Everton were dumped out by AFC Bournemouth.
Tottenham, meanwhile, suffered defeat to Aston Villa in the latest blow to their hopes of ending their long trophy drought.
Reflecting on the latest FA Cup drama on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said it would be ‘amazing’ to see Brighton clinch the 2025 trophy.
The Seagulls, who have never won a major trophy in their 123-year history, impressively knocked out Chelsea on Saturday.
‘Prior to this game, Brighton had been through a really tough patch,’ Lineker said. ‘So that might boost them.
‘Did you know they have never won a major trophy in their history? So, that would be amazing wouldn’t it.
‘When you get to the fifth round, you start thinking, ‘You never know’ – you’ve only got to win two games to get to Wembley in the semi-finals.
‘You just need a good draw. A nice home draw in the fifth round would make all the difference.’
Brighton’s best-ever FA Cup performance came 42 years ago in 1983 as they reached the final – but they finished as runners-up after losing to Manchester United.
The south coast club have reached the semi-finals twice in recent seasons, losing to United again on penalties in 2023.
In 2019, meanwhile, Brighton lost to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the last four.
When is the FA Cup fifth-round draw?
The FA Cup draw for the fifth round will take place during the next episode of The One Show tonight – Monday, February 10.
The draw is expected to get underway at about 7.10pm UK time.
FA Cup fourth round results and fixtures
- Man Utd 2-1 Leicester City
- Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
- Birmingham 2-3 Newcastle
- Wigan 1-2 Fulham
- Stoke 3-3 Cardiff (Cardiff win 4-2 on pens)
- Southampton 0-1 Burnley
- Preston 0-0 Wycombe (Preston win 4-2 on pens)
- Everton 0-2 Bournemouth
- Coventry 1-4 Ipswich
- Leyton Orient 1-2 Man City
- Leeds 0-2 Millwall
- Blackburn 0-2 Wolves
- Plymouth 0-1 Liverpool
- Aston Villa 2-1 Spurs
Monday, February 10:
19.45: Doncaster vs Crystal Palace
Tuesday, February 11:
20.00: Exeter vs Nottingham Forest
The fifth-round draw will be live on BBC One, with viewers in the United Kingdom also able to watch online via BBC iPlayer.
The FA Cup fifth-round matches, which will feature a total of 16 teams, are set to be played over the weekend of March 1.
The following rounds will then take place on the weekends of March 29 (quarter-final) and April 26 (semi-final).
The 2024-25 FA Cup final is scheduled for Saturday, May 17 at Wembley.
