Overview
Manchester City may be 9 points behind Arsenal in the Premier League, but Pep Guardiola's team has quickly regained their spirits with a victory against this opponent before the international break.
Nico O'Reilly's double helped Man City win 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final, thereby winning their first major title of the season and aiming to return to Wembley.
However, Liverpool will be a big challenge when the two teams clash in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the Etihad. For many years, Man City and Liverpool have always created top-level confrontations. Although no longer as tense as during Jurgen Klopp's time, the professional quality of this match is still maintained.
In their most recent meeting in February, Man City came back to win 2-1 right at Anfield. However, they could not maintain their chasing momentum in the championship race, while Liverpool entered this match after a 1-2 defeat to Brighton.
Unlike their opponents, Liverpool also has to focus on the Champions League quarter-finals, where they are preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain. However, the FA Cup is still the clearest opportunity for Arne Slot's team to win titles this season.
Liverpool have passed the quarter-finals 17/19 times recently, despite losing 3-4 to Man United last season. They have also never been eliminated in the quarter-finals for two consecutive seasons since 1967-1970.
In round 5, Liverpool beat Wolves 3-1, but they have never won two away matches against Premier League teams in the same FA Cup campaign since the 2005-2006 season.
Meanwhile, Man City is extremely formidable in this arena, winning 31 recent matches (excluding semi-finals and finals) since 2018. They are aiming for an eighth consecutive semi-final - a tournament record - and also own a 17-match home win streak in the FA Cup.
If they continue to win, City will set a new record for the number of consecutive home wins in the history of the tournament, surpassing the achievement of Clapham Rovers from the 19th century.
In terms of achievements, Liverpool has won the FA Cup 8 times, one more than Man City. City's last two titles came under Guardiola (2019, 2023), with 2023 being part of a treble.
Liverpool's most recent championship was in 2022 after defeating Chelsea in a penalty shootout. This match also marked Liverpool's first appearance since Mohamed Salah confirmed he would leave the club at the end of the season.
Salah has scored in the last three FA Cup matches and could become the first Liverpool player since Emile Heskey (2000-2001) to score in four consecutive matches in the tournament.
This is also the 25th and last time he has faced Man City in Liverpool colors. Salah has contributed to 21 goals against City (13 goals, 8 assists), only less than his record against Man United.
Despite being absent from the match against Brighton, Salah is likely to return in time. Meanwhile, Alexander Isak is not sure to play, and Alisson is still absent. On the other side, Erling Haaland is also a noteworthy name. The Norwegian striker has scored in 3 consecutive home matches against Liverpool.
In the Premier League era, only Chris Sutton and Sergio Aguero have ever scored in at least four consecutive home matches against Liverpool.
Head-to-head record
This will be the seventh time the two teams have met in the FA Cup. Man City won the first two times, but Liverpool have won all four of the most recent times, including the semi-finals of the 2021-2022 season.
However, City has won both encounters in the Premier League this season and has a chance to win 3 consecutive matches against Liverpool in all competitions for the first time since 1937.
The last team to beat Liverpool three times in a season was West Ham (2015-2016).
Score prediction: Man City 3-1 Liverpool
The match between Man City - Liverpool takes place at 6:45 p.m. on April 4 (Vietnam time).
