Manchester City and Liverpool go head-to-head once again this weekend with a place in the FA Cup final up for grabs.
Less than a week on from their titanic title showdown in the Premier League, the two sides do battle again at the national stadium as they continue their hunt for more silverware. City are still in the hunt for a memorable Treble, while Liverpool are aiming for the Quadruple after winning the Carabao Cup earlier this year.
Honours were even at the Etihad on Sunday, as they were at Anfield earlier on in the campaign, but there has to be a winner at Wembley on Saturday. Such is the quality of the two sides, we’re set for another superb encounter.
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And with very little to choose between them, it’s anyone’s guess who will go through to the final. But what do the pundits think? We’ve taken a look at their predictions for Saturday’s semi-final.
Mark Lawrenson – BBC Sport
“I make Liverpool slight favourites here because they are fresher,” Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
“City had to travel to Spain in midweek, they had a gruelling game against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and picked up a couple of injuries while, on the same night, Jurgen Klopp could leave out a lot of his big-hitters against Benfica.
“Because of that, I'm expecting City to make some changes from what is, arguably, their best team but Liverpool to be as strong as they can be - and that swings the tie for me.”
Prediction: City 1-2 Liverpool
Paul Merson – Sportskeeda
“I got last week's Premier League prediction right!” Merson told Sportskeeda. “Manchester City have played out a 2-2 draw with Liverpool this month and I reckon Liverpool have a slight advantage in this game.
“City had a real hard game against Atletico Madrid, to be fair. They've had to travel this week, and it was a very physical game as well. Liverpool rested Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Fabinho in the Champions League and are almost certain to score goals this weekend.”
Prediction: City 1-2 Liverpool
Michael Owen – BetVictor
“I can’t wait for this,” Owen told BetVictor. “The game last week was brilliant, and this should be more of the same. Man City are entering this on the back of that dramatic match in Madrid. That was far from a straightforward night, but to leave Madrid with a clean sheet will be a huge positive.
“As for Liverpool, it was an entertaining game against Benfica, but in the end it was straightforward. Klopp even had the luxury of resting a few players. Given how many important games are coming up, that’s a huge bonus. The movement of the front three caused City a lot of problems last week and they were exploiting City’s high line.
“The fact City had such an intense game on Wednesday is bound to play a factor here. They picked up a few knocks in the game as well, I’m putting Liverpool as slight favourites.”
Prediction: City 1-2 Liverpool
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