Holders Chelsea will face Aston Villa in the last eight of the FA Women's Cup, whilst last season's runners-up Notts County face a tricky tie away at Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Sunderland welcome Reading to Wearside and third-tier Sporting Club Albion have been granted an illustrious tie in the form of a trip to the Academy Stadium to face Manchester City.

The four ties will take place on Sunday 3 April, with the eight teams bidding to make it all the way to Wembley for the big occasion on Saturday 14 May.

Straight-forward ties for the top two

Last year's top two in the WSL 1 have been granted relatively easy ties, albeit on paper, as they look to secure the first piece of silverware on offer this season.

Man City will be more than expected to overcome an opponent who rest two divisions below them, whereas 2015's double-winning Chelsea should comfortably see off a mid-table WSL 2 opponent.

However, form goes out of the window in the cup and anything can happen on the day, so both will have to be on top of their game to reach the last four.

Can Chelsea retain their title? (Photo: FA Cup)
Can Chelsea retain their title? (Photo: FA Cup)

Evenly-matched contests elsewhere

The other two quarter-finals are a little more difficult to predict. Arsenal may have won the competition 13 times, but Notts County will give them a more than tough tie as the Gunners look to reclaim a trophy their past is so familiar with.

Pedro Martinez Losa's side stuttered in the last round, with Birmingham City taking them all the way to penalties, and they cannot afford to slip up again if they want to be victorious in this competition.

Sunderland and Reading, meanwhile, present a very intriguing clash. The Lady Black Cats excelled in their top flight debut in 2015 and will be hoping to fight off the possibility of second-season syndrome whilst facing a side looking to emulate the success they enjoyed last year.