FA Cup 2015: Semi-Final Preview and Early Predictions for Wembley Encounters

From a field of hundreds, only four remain in the hunt for this season's FA Cup, as Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Reading prepare for their trips to Wembley Stadium ahead of next weekend's semi-finals.

The Gunners face the Royals on Saturday, April 18, as Reading manager Steve Clarke seeks to pull off an upset over his Premier League opponents, while the Reds meet the Villans next Sunday, April 19.

As defending champions, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's men have a bigger burden on their shoulders to ensure that they make it to the Wembley final, boasting the highest league position of any team left in the FA Cup running.

In little over a week, fans around the globe will know which two sides will contest this year's FA Cup final, and we provide an early preview and prediction of who'll be making it to the London crescendo.

Gunners Blaze a Trail Past Resilient Royals

Jon Super/Associated Press

There will always be a certain likability factor about the underdog, and Reading have their support this season from those neutrals looking to see "the little guy" succeed.

However, having finally tasted silverware with their FA Cup triumph last season, Arsenal will be a stubborn mule to take on at Wembley next Saturday, not least due to their rampant form of late.

Having risen to second in the Premier League, Wenger's men have been a force to reckon with, winning their last seven games across all competitions and conceding just four goals in the process.

That defensive astuteness in particular promises to be Reading's undoing, and football writer Samuel Jay C reports that Jack Wilshere is in line for a return against the Royals:

While Arsenal are soaring high in the top flight, Clarke's men are 18th in the Championship and have won just two of their last 10 outings, enduring a three-match winless streak at present.

Paddy Power outlines just how far apart the two teams are in the odds as things stand, and it's understandable that the bookmakers wouldn't give Reading much of a chance:

The first goalscorer will be crucial in deciding the landscape of the tie, but one may as well call it "game over" if Arsenal bag first and are allowed to build a majority share in possession from there.

That being said, all four of Reading's victories away from home in league competition this season have come against teams in the Championship's top eight, showing that the team have a penchant for overachieving against big opposition.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Reading

Timid Liverpool Edge Way Past Villa

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Christian Benteke is coming into form at precisely the right time if he's to give Aston Villa any hope of claiming a title this season, hitting a hat-trick against QPR in his most recent outing.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's place at Wembley was booked late after a superb Philippe Coutinho finish against Blackburn Rovers sealed their semi-final spot on Wednesday, per the club's official Twitter account:

Despite that success, Liverpool have looked out of shape recently, losing the dominant streak they'd built over the last few months and failing to score more than one goal in any of their last five games.

Simon Mignolet rightly says that manager Brendan Rodgers' men aren't getting ahead of themselves, per the Guardian's Andy Hunter, hinting that it could be the departing Steven Gerrard who has a major influence in keeping their feet on the ground:

"

Nobody is talking about it. Stevie is the first one to acknowledge that. Before we speak about the final, we have got to get through the semi-final, and that is only possible after getting through against Blackburn. The only thing we can keep in mind now is how to get past Villa.

Then we will see what comes. Villa will be tough. Stevie is the first one to acknowledge we can't have any extra pressure on the team. He won't let us think in a different way. We just want to focus on Villa and the games before that.

"

The Reds will know all too well what it's like to come so close to one's goal only to have it snatched away at the last hurdle, having lost last season's Premier League title race in agonising fashion.

And it could be that the fitness of Rodgers' squad comes to have a huge impact on the Reds' fortunes, with the Liverpool Echo reporting that Mamadou Sakho is already a significant loss in defence:

Manager Tim Sherwood has Villa scoring goals again, but thankfully for Liverpool, the Villans remain uncertain at the back and have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four games.

Wembley will assuredly coax the best out of the dark hordes from Birmingham, but mental fortitude and that extra sprinkling of genuine quality should see the Reds through, with Coutinho potentially playing the role of hero once again.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa