MANCHESTER CITY VS. LIVERPOOL
| Saturday, April 4th |
FA Cup Quarter Final | Etihad
12:45PM BST/7:45AM EST
Manchester City come into this one triumphant, having just lifted the League Cup at Arsenal’s expense. Prior to their League Cup final win, however, Pep Guardiola’s men saw themselves decisively out of the Champions League after losing both legs against Real Madrid and drawing away to West Ham United in the Premier League at the weekend. City are technically still competing for the League title as they sit nine points behind
leaders Arsenal with a game in hand (and a game against Arsenal themselves still to be played), but the FA Cup very much feels like their most realistic hope of more silverware this season.
They’ve had their ups and downs: the Manchester City sides of seasons past would be far and away at the top of the league, which has required far less perfection than previous seasons have done, and yet they’ve lacked a cutting edge in the run-in here. They did decisively beat Liverpool in the league twice already this season, though, as the Reds have also certainly had ups and downs thus far.
Liverpool have won the last four domestic cup ties against Manchester City, most recently in the 2020/21 competition that ended with Liverpool’s name etched on the trophy most recently. Overall, the Reds have progressed from 17 out of their last 19 quarter final ties. Meanwhile, City have won 17 straight home FA Cup matches, and are looking to make this one an outright record (they’re currently level with an 1873 to 1881 run by Clapham Rovers). This would also be City’s eighth successive semi-final should they defeat Liverpool.
Manchester City lifted a trophy 12 days ago. It’s up to Liverpool to make sure it’s their only one this season.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Wirtz; Salah, Ekitiké, Gakpo
As we learned this morning, Alisson is out possibly for the season with an undisclosed injury, and thus Georgi Mamardashvili will start this one. Jeremie Frimpong was struggling against Brighton in terms of fitness, and inexplicably came on and then came off for the Netherlands in their last match of the international break — though no explicit injury news became public following that short showing. He has trained for Liverpool though it’s possible Arne Slot will ask Dominik Szoboszlai to play at right back to give Frimpong a better chance at full fitness against PSG; regardless, it appears that issues at right back will continue until the end of the season.
Alexander Isak could actually play for Liverpool this weekend, though Slot was clear that we should not expect him from the start. We should perhaps not expect much from him generally: though he has been in training he will certainly not be at full match fitness given the length of his absence. Given the possibility for extra time in this one, I would expect to see Isak get a few minutes only if it’s going really, really well for the Reds (or, I suppose, really poorly).
Mo Salah has trained and is fit following a bit of an injury absence prior to the break. This is inescapably the first game for Salah since the Egyptian announced his departure from Liverpool at the end of the season, which adds a bit of emotional tenor to proceedings: Salah is always a player who wants to lift silverware, and I can’t imagine the thirst could be any higher than on a “last ever chance to do so” occasion. This of course ups the pressure on Salah, but we can hope the added pressure might lead to improved form. Should he score on Saturday he would become the first player to score in four successive FA Cup appearances for Liverpool since Emile Heskey managed it back in 2000/01.
Liverpool have not been in good form, though perhaps it’s most accurate to say that the Reds have been unable to build on good performances: following up a decisive win to progress in the Champions League with a dire loss away to Brighton left many grateful for the disruption of the international break.
This is a challenging ask as players return from their international sides, with an early kick-off never the kindest of the options. Liverpool need to make a statement here, though, as we’re entering the final phase of 2025/26. This is one of two chances for silverware this season: Manchester City is not the only side who are desperate to lift something to paper over a season that has largely been a disappointment. Given the uneven form from both teams, this might well come down to a challenge of mentality: with neither side at their best, who wants it more?
The Managers Have Their Say
Arne Slot: “I think we have felt this season multiple times how important it is to get a lead, we have struggled with that. It’s much easier than being 1 or 2-0 up. Scoring goals is vital, so I am happy Alex is back. We have more fans than normal because it is FA Cup and I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re louder than them!”
Other Manager: “There absolutely is [a rivalry with Liverpool]. I’ve said many times that they are our biggest rival. They have been at the top for many years so they are top contenders.”
The Officials
Referee: Michael Oliver Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt & Timothy Wood Fourth Official: Paul Tierney VAR: Paul Howard Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
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