Manchester City vs Liverpool: The Thrilling 'Early Final'

Manchester City's season faced a potential downturn after falling nine points behind Arsenal and being eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid. However, Pep Guardiola's squad managed to salvage the situation with a convincing victory at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final, thereby avoiding the risk of two consecutive seasons without a trophy.

This trophy also brings Pep Guardiola's total major career titles to 40.

The 2-0 win against Arsenal, one of Europe's top-performing teams this season, confirms that Manchester City remains a formidable force in cup competitions. This will significantly boost the Blues' confidence ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final clash with Liverpool.

Manchester City still faces a challenging Premier League schedule with matches against Chelsea and Arsenal, but their immediate focus is entirely on the showdown with Liverpool to secure a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals for the eighth consecutive season.

The Etihad Stadium hosts boast an impressive FA Cup record, winning 19 of their last 21 matches over the past four seasons. Their only two defeats came in the finals of 2024 and 2025 against Manchester United and Crystal Palace.

Manchester City also holds a streak of 17 consecutive home wins in the FA Cup since 2015. A victory over Liverpool would surpass Clapham Rovers' record for the longest home winning streak in the competition.

Liverpool enters this match against Manchester City amidst significant upheaval following Mohamed Salah's confirmation that he will leave Anfield at the end of the season.

Salah's declining performance has contributed to Liverpool's disappointing offensive output this season. The Kop's defense has also been notably weak and disorganized. Away from home, Liverpool has been unstable recently, losing three of their last four matches on the road.

Liverpool has lost the chance to defend their Premier League title and now heavily relies on cup competitions like the Champions League and FA Cup to salvage their season.

Under manager Arne Slot, the team must play at least 10 matches across three competitions from now until the season's end. Alongside the goal of a Top 5 finish in the Premier League, their FA Cup and Champions League campaigns will significantly impact the Dutch strategist's future.

After the decisive match against Manchester City, Liverpool must manage their energy for a stormy away trip to face PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals next week. Arne Slot's squad urgently needs a positive result to build momentum for their Champions League ambitions. However, the congested schedule will force Slot to rotate his lineup, granting a major advantage to the home side, Manchester City.

If victorious, Manchester City would become the second team to defeat Liverpool three times in a single season, following Crystal Palace. For Liverpool, a win would mark their first return to the FA Cup semi-finals since their 2022 title under manager Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool lost 0-3 at the Etihad in November, but The Kop remains fairly confident, having won all four of their most recent away FA Cup matches against Manchester City.

The match between Manchester City and Liverpool will take place at 18:45 on April 4th. Overall, this promises to be a high-speed, high-quality encounter.

Expected starting lineups for both teams
Manchester City: Trafford, Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Bernardo, Rodri, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Haaland, Cherki.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike.