Manchester City and Liverpool meet at Wembley on Saturday for a place in the FA Cup final; Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's sides are separated by a single point in the Premier League; who will come out on top in next chapter of epic rivalry?
Saturday 16 April 2022 14:01, UK
Manchester City and Liverpool go head to head for the second time in a week in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
The two sides continued their battle for Premier League supremacy with a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and they now meet again for a place in next month's FA Cup final.
City and Liverpool are separated by a solitary point at the top of the Premier League and there is also the mouth-watering prospect of a Champions League final showdown - should they overcome Real Madrid and Villarreal respectively in the semis.
But, as they continue their fight for silverware on multiple fronts, who will come out on top at Wembley?
Jurgen Klopp recently described Pep Guardiola as the "world's best" manager and the respect is mutual. "He makes me better," said Guardiola of his Liverpool counterpart.
The men in the dugout have driven each other to new heights and so too have the players on the pitch. Their Premier League points totals since August 2018, with City on 339 and Liverpool on 338, show just how evenly matched they have been.
They have served up some memorable encounters since Guardiola followed Klopp to the Premier League in the summer of 2016. In 15 meetings in all competitions since then, there have been 46 goals scored at an average of more than three per game.
City have fared better in their meetings over the last three seasons, winning three out of seven - including four-goal thrashings in February 2021 and July 2020 - while Liverpool have only won one.
Overall, though, the two sides have five wins apiece, with their five other meetings - including both of their Premier League clashes this season - ending as draws, further underlining how little there is between them.
At Wembley, though, there is no possibility of another draw, with the game to be decided by a penalty shootout if it is still even after extra-time. It promises to be another memorable chapter in a box-office rivalry between two formidable heavyweights.
For all his success at Liverpool, Klopp has an underwhelming record in the FA Cup. He has never won the competition and, until this season, he had never even guided Liverpool to the last four.
Indeed, in Klopp's previous five seasons in charge at Anfield, Liverpool had never got further than the fifth round, exiting the competition four times in the fourth round and once, in 2018/19, in the third.
Klopp has faced accusations of not taking the competition seriously over the years but he is eager to improve his record and the identity of Liverpool's semi-final opponents has only added to his determination to go on and lift the trophy.
"The FA Cup is a massive competition," he said this week. "So far, we couldn't even get to the semis, so it's our first experience of a semi-final at Wembley, but better late than never.
"Now we are there, it means everything to us. I hope the fans can get to London - I think the trains have stopped - and we have the atmosphere a semi-final between Manchester City vs Liverpool deserves."
While Guardiola has only won the FA Cup once during his time in charge of Manchester City, he does have a record of going far in the competition. In fact, City have reached the last four in five of his six campaigns in charge.
"In six seasons we are together we have made five FA Cup semi-finals," he said in his press conference. "It is amazing."
The Manchester City boss is hoping to go one better than last season, when a Hakim Ziyech goal consigned them to a 1-0 loss against Chelsea and prevented them from reaching the final.
"Last season was quite similar to today," he added. "Hopefully we can perform a bit better than we did against Chelsea last season.
"We have a chance to reach the final of the FA Cup. The FA Cup is so prestigious, sometimes more prestigious than the Premier League."
Manchester City and Liverpool head into the game having come through Champions League quarter-final ties since Sunday's meeting at the Etihad. The fixtures are piling up.
City faced the stiffer test in midweek, their explosive encounter with Atletico going right to the wire while Liverpool could afford to ease up against Benfica following their first-leg victory in Portugal.
But it's Liverpool who have faced the most gruelling schedule this season, playing 51 games in all competitions to City's 48 so far having won the Carabao Cup in February after City's early exit.
Should Klopp's side progress to the FA Cup final on Saturday and overcome Villarreal to reach the Champions League final after that, their overall number of games played this season will stretch to 63 - a total only surpassed by five sides in Premier League history.
Guardiola said after Wednesday's goalless draw against Atletico Madrid that the tie had left his side in "big trouble" in terms of injuries.
City were forced to withdraw Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker during the game at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and the pair face late fitness tests ahead of Saturday's trip to Wembley having missed training on Friday.
Guardiola said De Bruyne had avoided a muscular injury but revealed he had required stitches on his foot. On Walker's injury, he added: "He had a big twist but it is getting better. In football these kind of things happen but we will adapt and adjust."
There was better news on Ruben Dias. The Portuguese international has not featured since City's FA Cup win over Peterborough at the beginning of March due to a hamstring injury but he returned to the squad against Atletico and could make his return to the side against Liverpool.
"Ruben Dias trained today and we will see about him," said Guardiola.
Phil Foden, meanwhile, is expected to be available despite having to have his head bandaged following a collision with Atletico's Felipe on Wednesday.
Mohamed Salah was rested for Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Benfica, only appearing as a second-half substitute, but Klopp expects him to return at Wembley.
"Even if Mo had scored four goals in the last game, he wouldn't have started [against Benfica]," explained Klopp. "That's how it is. Nothing to do with anything, there's no story to make of it. It's just a necessity.
"Mo played in January and February six times 120 minutes. Now we can just close our eyes and say, 'Who cares?' Even he is just a human being. That's why it's clear there will be games he doesn't start and games where we take him off. He hates that, that's clear.
"People might think what I'm doing the whole day. I'm thinking about these kind of things when these things are really necessary to do. It was clearly the case and I think the game proved it 100 per cent."
Klopp also provided an update on Diogo Jota. The Portuguese was withdrawn in the second half against Benfica having picked up a knock but Klopp believes he will be available to face the side against whom he scored last weekend.
"Diogo pulled up slightly directly after the game," said the Liverpool manager. "It's Diogo: there's a good chance he will be all right but we need to have a look tomorrow. That's it."
