After gobbling up the Carabao Cup against Arsenal two weeks ago, Manchester City will be looking to continue with their momentum in the FA Cup when they face nemesis Liverpool in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The Last-8 match will take place at the Etihad Stadium and kick-off is at 2pm.
Nico O’Reilly’s second half double helped City to a 2-0 Wembley win to bring up their ninth triumph in this competition and a record fifth for coach Pep Guardiola. The Wembley success marked the first trophy triumph for a host of younger players who have all joined City over the past two years or so.
The Reds blowing hot and cold
Against Liverpool, City are playing against a side that is blowing hot and cold. In their past six matches in all competitions, ‘The Reds’ have won two, lost three, and drew the other match. So, you can never guess which Liverpool side will show up on match day.
The last time the two giants met was in early February, and the league match was marred by a highly controversial, chaotic stoppage-time VAR decision that saw a third City goal ruled out and a Liverpool player sent off. City won the match via a 2-1 scoreline.
This was after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had surged upfield, and City’s Rayan Cherki rolled the ball into an empty net to seemingly make it 3-1. During the counter-attack, Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai and City’s striker Erling Haaland were grappling. The VAR call ruled that Szoboszlai pulled back Haaland, but Haaland subsequently fouled Szoboszlai. Because the foul occurred before the ball crossed the line, the goal was disallowed.
Instead of a goal, referee Craig Pawson, following a pitchside review, ruled that Szoboszlai denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity during the initial pull, resulting in a red card for the Liverpool midfielder and a free-kick for City.
‘Hunger to succeed’
City captain Bernardo Silva hailed his teammates after their Carabao Cup victory. Bernardo, who played a starring role in the center of midfield, saluted the squad in the aftermath of this latest success.
Bernardo insisted he was confident it could prove to be the first of many pieces of silverware for City looking to the future. “For sure I see the same hunger to succeed in the new guys.”
“Now they know the standards of this club. The standard that is required and that we set in the last eight or nine years at this football club. It gives them even more hunger to go for it and to say ‘Look, we are also capable of that.”
Salah’s imminent return
Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Arne Slot is confident Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa will be available for Saturday’s encounter. Salah missed the defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the international break with a muscle injury and then did not link up with Egypt, while Chiesa withdrew from the Italy squad.
Jeremie Frimpong will be assessed after he came off in the Netherlands’ draw with Ecuador on Tuesday night, but Alisson Becker remains sidelined.
Asked how close Salah is to a return, Slot said on the club’s website: “Close, very close.
“Another example of what makes him special because the moment he got injured there was a bit of a situation where they thought, ‘I don’t think he’s available for City.’ But Mo looked at me and said, ‘I think I will be available for City.’
“He just does so much for his body for such a long time that he recovers so fast. So, he will train with the team again and if everything works well, then he’s available to be with us at City.”
Slot continued: “Jeremie, the national team doctor of the Netherlands, tells us that it was precautionary that they took him out. But he will have a scan later today to see.
“Alisson will be out for a bit longer. And Federico indeed came back from the national team, where he wasn’t able to play. But he trained with us today, so he will train with us again and will be available for the game on the weekend.”
- Manchester City, fresh off their Carabao Cup win against Arsenal, face Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals at Etihad Stadium on Saturday at 2 pm.
- City's recent Carabao Cup triumph saw younger players shine, marking a record fifth victory for coach Pep Guardiola in the competition.
- Liverpool has been inconsistent recently, winning 2, losing 3, and drawing 1 in their last six matches, adding unpredictability to the upcoming game.
- A controversial VAR decision marred their last encounter in February, which ended 2-1 in favor of City, including a red card for Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai.
- Liverpool coach Arne Slot expects Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa to return for the match, while City's Jeremie Frimpong is under assessment; goalkeeper Alisson remains sidelined.
After gobbling up the Carabao Cup against Arsenal two weeks ago, Manchester City will be looking to continue with their momentum in the FA Cup when they face nemesis Liverpool in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Nico O’Reilly’s second half double helped City to a 2-0
Against Liverpool, City are playing against a side that is blowing hot and cold. In their past six matches in all competitions, '
Instead of a goal, referee Craig Pawson, following a pitchside review, ruled that Szoboszlai denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity during the initial pull, resulting in a red card for the Liverpool midfielder and a free-kick for City.
City captain Bernardo Silva hailed his teammates after their Carabao Cup victory. Bernardo, who played a starring role in the center of midfield, saluted the squad in the aftermath of this latest success.
Bernardo insisted he was confident it could prove to be the first of many pieces of silverware for City looking to the future. “For sure I see the same hunger to succeed in the new guys.”
“Now they know the standards of this club.
Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Arne Slot is confident Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa will be available for Saturday's encounter. Salah missed the defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the international break with a muscle injury and then did not link up with Egypt, while Chiesa withdrew from the Italy squad.
Jeremie
Asked how close Salah is to a return, Slot said on the club's website: "Close, very close.
"
"He just does so much for his body for such a long time that he recovers so fast. So, he will train with the team again and if everything works well, then he's available to be with us at City."
Slot continued: "Jeremie, the national team doctor of the
"Alisson will be out for a bit longer.
