Manchester City will be looking to build on their EFL Cup final win against Arsenal when they host Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday at 12:45pm.
Pep Guardiola’s side will be buzzing after ending a three-game winless streak by winning the first major trophy of the season just before the international break. Now, they’ll look to go a step closer to more silverware.
Man City predicted lineup vs Liverpool
Man City (4-3-3): Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Silva, Rodri, Foden; Cherki, Haaland, Doku.
Man City have made each of the last three FA Cup finals and haven’t failed to make the semi-finals since 2017/18.
Man City team news vs Liverpool
John Stones left the England camp during the international break due to a calf problem and could be sidelined for a couple of weeks.
Josko Gvardiol is out for the season with a broken leg, while Ruben Dias is still a few weeks away from fitness.
James Trafford should get another run-out in goal here, while Nico O’Reilly will look to exert a similar sort of match-winning influence as he did in the EFL Cup final against Arsenal.
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While he will certainly not give up on the Premier League, Guardiola may see the FA Cup as a more realistic route to silverware this season. With that in mind, expect the likes of Erling Haaland, Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Marc Guehi to start.
Pep Guardiola looks to maintain stunning FA Cup record
There was a running joke that the EFL Cup had become the ‘Pep Guardiola Invitational’ when Man City won the competition four times in a row between 2017 and 2021, having already won it twice just before his arrival.
However, it’s also important to remember just how much City have thrived in the FA Cup during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
City have won this trophy twice under Guardiola so far, but they’ve also made two more finals and four more semi-finals.
As mentioned, City have made at least the semi-finals in each of the last seven seasons, winning it twice and losing two finals during that time. An absolutely phenomenal record.
They face a huge barrier to that sort of progression again, of course, in Liverpool. However, there seems to be a magnetic pull between City and the FA Cup right now that even the Reds may be unable to disrupt.
