Manchester City and Liverpool will lock horns for the second time in a week as the two English giants look for a place in the FA Cup finals on Saturday.
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The last time the two sides met here, Man City came out victorious after a draw after winning the penalties. With a draw in their immediately previous clash, this match will be another thriller.
Manchester City sits atop the Premier league table with 74 points while Liverpool sits second with just one point behind.
The top two of the Premier League met in the FA Cup semifinals only two times before, with Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur being the previous such fixture back in 2016-17.
After their 2-2 draw in the league last Sunday, the two sides will meet twice in the space of a week for the first time since April 2018, when they met in the two legs of the Champions League quarterfinals.
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Liverpool had come out victorious then, finally becoming runner-up in the final.
When did the two last play in the semifinals?
Liverpool will play its first FA Cup final under Jurgen Klopp when it steps out to face City on Saturday. It played its last FA Cup semifinal on April 19, 2015, when Aston Villa knocked the Reds out.
In Liverpool’s run-up to the final, it has lost just twice in its last semifinals, with a loss to Villa and to Crystal Palace on April 8, 1990.
Manchester City, on the other hand, is a more recent team to feature in the semifinals, with it winning the FA Cup in 2020 and losing to Chelsea in the semifinals last year.
City will be playing its fifth semifinal in six years — all of which have come under Pep Guardiola.
Form Guide: Liverpool and Manchester City
Manchester City is on a 10-match unbeaten run, with the last loss coming against Tottenham Hotspur in February.
City comes into the match after sealing a semifinal spot in the UEFA Champions League with a win against Atletico Madrid (1-0 on aggregate).
Last five matches (MCI) - Manchester City has won three and drawn two matches in all competitions.
- Drew 0-0 vs Atletico Madrid
- Drew 2-2 vs Liverpool
- Won 1-0 vs Atletico Madrid
- Won 0-2 vs Burnley
- Won 1-4 vs Southampton
Liverpool, on the other hand, is unbeaten in seven matches and has failed to secure a win in its previous two fixtures ( a 2-2 draw against Man City and a 3-3 draw against Benfica).
Klopp’s side has also booked a place in the UCL semifinals with a win against Benfica on aggregate (6-4).
Last five matches (LIV) - Liverpool has and identiacl record with three wins and two draws in all competitions as well.
- Drew 3-3 vs Benfica
- Drew 2-2 vs Manchester City
- Won 1-3 vs Benfica
- Won 2-0 vs Watford
- Won 0-1 vs Nottingham Forest
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Head-to-Head
Liverpool vs Manchester City
Liverpool and Manchester City have met twice before at the Wembley Stadium, with both games ending in a 1-1 draw before going to penalties.
Interestingly, Man City won on both occasions. (League Cup Final – 2016, Community Shield – 2019)
This is the first FA Cup meeting between Manchester City and Liverpool since the Reds beat City in 2003, with Danny Murphy scoring the winner.
Liverpool’s only two defeats to Man City in the competition came in replays, winning three of the other five games (D2).
Jurgen Klopp vs Pep Guardiola
The contest between the two sides is beyond just players as Klopp and Guardiola have a battle of their own as well.
Throughout their careers, neither Man City under Pep nor Liverpool under Klopp has lost more often against any other manager than they have against one another.
In domestic cup competitions, they have a win apiece against each other and those happened in Germany. Bayern Munich beat Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the 2014 DFB-Pokal final, while Klopp returned the favour in the 2014-15 semi-final.
Players to watch out for
Diogo Jota, Liverpool — The striker has scored in two of the last FA Cup matches and was influential in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Man City, scoring the first goal for the Reds. With Mohamed Salah, missing his shooting boots, the Portugal forward will be one of the players to look out for.
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However, after a knock in the previous match against Benfica, Jota remains a doubt with Klopp saying that his selection is subject to a late assessment.
Riyad Mahrez, Manchester City — Riyad Mahrez has scored four goals in three FA Cup matches for Man City this season, twice of what he scored in 20 appearances before that (2).
He has scored in four consecutive rounds this season, with Romelu Lukaku being the last Premier League player to do so in 2017-18m for Manchester United.
What have the managers said?
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool
When and where to watch?
Man City vs Liverpool is set for a 8:00 pm kick-off on April 16, 2022 at the Wembley Stadium in London. The match will be telecast live on on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) in India.
On the OTT platform, the match will be available for live telecast on Sony LIV and JioTV.
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