Laporte and Salah ran for the ball. (AFP)
Liverpool are dreaming of a quadruple and Manchester City are aiming for a treble. Some will have to give up when the two best clubs in England meet in their rivalry in the semi-finals of FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, this Saturday from 11:30 am (Argentine time) and with a live broadcast from ESPN.
Their 2-2 draw last weekend did little to move the needle in the Premier League title race, with City holding a one-point lead. But the story will be different at Wembley.
“It’s an intense battle on a really high level.”said the Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp. “City looked very strong last week and we didn’t get our best performance. So I also want to see a game where we’re at our best.”
Klopp then qualified for the semis in the Champions League. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Liverpool won the League Cup in February by beating Chelsea on penalties after 120 minutes of goalless play, also at Wembley. The intensity is “insane,” Klopp said, and he expects the same on Saturday when fans of both teams arrive at the stadium after facing the closure of the train line that usually takes them.
Liverpool and City have also advanced to the Champions League semi-finals and could meet in the final next month in Paris.
The city beat Atletico Madrid this week but paid a heavy price when the midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and defender Kyle Walker left due to injuries in a rough no-goal draw that allowed the visitors to advance 1-0 overall. City manager, Pep Guardiolaacknowledged in an interview with BT Sport that “we are in a big trouble” because of the injuries.
Pep Guardiola, manages the City of Madrid. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Fatigue is another factor, Guardiola said at his post-match press conference. “There are a lot of games on our legs,” he said. “The trip after the game against Liverpool was very demanding and we fell apart in the second half (against Atletico).”
Meanwhile, Liverpool were able to spin the players for their second leg against Benfica at Anfield, thanks to a 3-1 first-leg lead. They advanced 6-4 on aggregate after drawing 3-3 in a game that decided to rest defenders Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané entered as substitutes.
No Premier club has won all four trophies in a season. Liverpool have not won the FA Cup since 2006, while City won in 2019 when they completed the English treble.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace, another semi
Thomas Tuchel, manager of Chelsea. Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo
Chelsea can finally count on Romelu Lukaku for Sunday’s match against Crystal Palace in another FA Cup semi-final tie at Wembley. The Belgian striker has been left out of the last two games due to a leg injury.
“Romelu was back in training yesterday,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said on Friday. “Let’s see if he has any reaction or not.”
Crystal Palace is the only club left in the tournament that has never won the FA Cup.
Source: Clarin
