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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Tom Cavilla

Jamie Carragher slams 'desperate' FA decision as Man City sent Liverpool warning

Jamie Carragher has admitted he is unsurprised by the decision of the FA to keep Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final versus Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

Calls have been made by both the Labour party and supporter groups this week for next month's match to be moved to a neural venue after it became clear that supporters of both sides would face severe travel issues accessing the national stadium when the sides go head-to-head on April 16.

No trains will run from either Liverpool or Manchester on the weekend of the final due to pre-planned engineering works taking place over Easter weekend, though this was a challenging situation the FA were made aware of back in 2019. Fans travelling by rail now face major complications to reach Wembley and will be forced to make alternative arrangements to overcome this frustrating news.

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Many have argued the match should have been staged closer to the north west to accommodate both sets of supporters, though Carragher is not at all shocked the FA have refused to change their stance on the cup contest.

"I would have liked it to be moved for the same reasons as everyone else. Semi-finals shouldn't be at Wembley, but we know it is a financial thing," he told the ECHO after featuring for Liverpool Legends at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

"There is something special about playing an FA Cup semi-final. I did it at Villa Park and Old Trafford and the other one was at Wembley against Everton, so I sampled a few different ones. Even as a kid, playing at a neutral ground against opposition is different - there is something special about it. I never thought for one minute the semi-final would be moved, I thought it would be at Wembley. The FA are just desperate to get money in.

"It will be a tough game, City are a brilliant team. But it will be tough for them as well as we're a brilliant team. It could go either way: small details decide big games and that match will be no different. We will go there full of confidence and I'm sure City will as well."

After facing Pep Guardiola's side for a place in the final of the FA Cup, there is every chance Liverpool could be locking horns with the Sky Blues in the showpiece fixture of the Champions League. Should this be the case, Carragher is of the view that Jurgen Klopp's men should not be concerned and haven't got 'anything to fear'.

"If we are to get City, it will be in the final. So it wouldn't be a two-legged affair with the Anfield crowd. It is the Champions League final but it is a one-off game in a neutral venue. I'm not sure how much that will play into it, but we are synonymous with the European Cup and long may that continue," said the former Kop hero.

"I don't think we have anything to fear. Some will argue that City are the best team in Europe, some will say we are. It is a toss of a coin, I don't think it really matters too much. I don't think we've got anything to fear with Man City."

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