FA Cup and Champions League are Liverpool’s only hope for glory this season as they languish in fifth place in the league.
Who: Manchester City vs Liverpool
What: FA Cup quarterfinal
Where: The Etihad Stadium, Manchester
When: Saturday, April 4 at 12:45pm (11:45 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 08:45 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Liverpool face a daunting trip to Manchester City in the standout tie of the FA Cup quarterfinals this weekend as Mohamed Salah seeks to end nine spectacular seasons at Anfield on a high.
Man City produced perhaps their best performance of the season to dominate Arsenal and win the League Cup final 2-0 before the international break.
City remain in the running to match their feat as the only English side to ever win the domestic treble of League Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in 2018/19.
Liverpool, meanwhile, face a defining 10 days for their season and possibly Arne Slot’s future at Anfield.
Despite leading Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title less than a year ago, Slot is under huge pressure to end a difficult second season with a trophy if he is to remain in the job.
Languishing fifth in the Premier League, the FA Cup and Champions League are the Reds’ only remaining hope of glory.
After visiting the Etihad, Slot’s men face European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals over two legs on April 8 and 14.
Salah’s long farewell
The Egyptian announced over the international break that he will leave at the end of the campaign, having netted 255 goals so far for the club.
“Hopefully, he can make his legacy even more special in the upcoming weeks and months, where we still play for something special, but he will always leave this club as a legend,” said Slot.
The 33-year-old Salah had been left out of the Liverpool team for four straight games at the end of 2025 in what appeared to be a breakdown in his relationship with Slot and the club.
Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah virtually has been an ever-present in the lineup, seemingly winning the Dutch coach round.
“That hunger never drops,” Slot said of Salah. “It’s the thing I find most special about him. So many good players around the world – he’s definitely one of them in the last 10 years – and to show that hunger every three days, that professionalism, that commitment to the club and to the team, wanting to score again, always wanting to play …
“When you take him out three minutes before the end, he’s like, ‘Ah, maybe I could have scored one extra.’”
Slot hopes Liverpool can ‘be the team we were’ against Galatasaray
In their penultimate game before the international break, Liverpool overturned a one-goal deficit in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League clash against Turkish giants Galatasaray to claim a 4-0 triumph at Anfield, winning 4-1 on aggregate.
However, that impressive display was followed by a 2-1 league defeat to Brighton.
“I hope and expect we can be the team that we were against Galatasaray,” he told the club website in an interview.
“That’s also what we need to be because City have shown … when they won the League Cup how good of a team they are, how many good players they have and how good a manager they have.
“It’s a very nice game to look forward to.”
Guardiola suspended for Liverpool clash
City boss Pep Guardiola will miss the game on Saturday through suspension after picking up a sixth booking of the season in the 3-1 win over Newcastle United in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Guardiola had been incensed by a robust challenge by Kieran Tripper on City winger Jeremy Doku – the City manager was cautioned for his angry protests to the fourth official after the referee failed to award a free kick.
It is possible that Guardiola could be missing out on his last game against Liverpool amid speculation over his future in Manchester.
While Guardiola has one more year left on his contract to take him to the end of next season, he is reportedly considering leaving the club at the end of this term.
The Telegraph newspaper reported this week that Guardiola will wait until the end of the season to decide whether he will stay at City.
“It has been claimed that City had formally asked Guardiola whether he plans to see out his contract, but this is not the case,” The Telegraph’s Jason Burt wrote. “Instead, Guardiola wants to analyse in May where City are under him, how he feels, and then decide.”
Which other teams are in the quarterfinals?
After City vs Liverpool in the early kickoff on Saturday, Chelsea host third-tier Port Vale – the lowest-ranked team left in the competition – before Arsenal visit second-tier Southampton.
On Sunday, West Ham host Leeds, as the relegation-threatened teams put their battle for Premier League survival on hold in a bid to reach the last four.
Head-to-head
The two clubs have faced each other on 220 occasions, with Liverpool winning 110 of those games, while City won 62 and 58 ended as draws.
In the last encounter, a stoppage-time penalty from Erling Haaland gave Manchester City a dramatic 2-1 win at Liverpool in their Premier League clash on February 8.
Man City’s team news
Centre-back Josko Gvardiol remains unavailable due to a tibial fracture, while fellow defenders Ruben Dias and John Stones will face late fitness tests as they struggle to recover from hamstring and calf injuries, respectively.
If Dias is deemed unable to play, then Abdukodir Khusanov or Nathan Ake will likely start in central defence alongside Marc Guehi, who is available again after missing the League Cup final due to ineligibility.
James Trafford is expected to benefit from an FA Cup rotation to get a start in goal ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Predicted starting XI:
Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Bernardo, Rodri, O’Reilly; Semenyo, Haaland, Cherki
Liverpool’s team news
Salah missed the 2-1 loss at Brighton with a muscle injury but has told Slot he should be fit enough to return this weekend.
Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo have all been ruled out with injuries, and Alisson Becker is also unlikely to start as he recovers from a muscular problem.
Jeremie Frimpong will be assessed after picking up a knock on international duty with the Netherlands and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai may be called on to deputise at right-back if Frimpong cannot play.
Slot’s side have been handed a boost with British-record signing Alexander Isak returning to training on Thursday after being out with an ankle injury since December. However, the City game will surely come too soon for the Swedish international to feature.
Predicted starting XI:
Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike