City and Liverpool lock horns again in Wembley FA Cup battle

MANCHESTER: Manchester City and Liverpool will meet again six days after their enthralling Premier League clash, this time at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

Title holders City lead Liverpool by a point after the 2-2 draw at the Etihad on Sunday and as well as a final to play for neither will want to hand a psychological edge to the other.

Both teams came through their Champions League quarter-final tests on Wednesday but Liverpool, who rested seven first-choice starters at home to Benfica, should be fresher than City who came through a fierce battle with Atletico Madrid in Spain.

Liverpool, who have already won the League Cup this season, are still in with a chance of an unprecedented quadruple of trophies this season while City have hopes of a treble.

The FA Cup may no longer have the status it once enjoyed but the fact that Saturday's game pits two of the strongest sides in the world together has added extra spice to the occasion.

"It is a massive competition, massive competition," said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, whose club last reached the semis in 2015, several months before he took charge.

"Obviously so far we didn't even go to the semis yet, so it's the first experience in the semi-finals at Wembley - but better late than never," said the German.

"Now we are there and it means everything to us, to be honest. I hope our people can get to London. I hope they can make it and that we have the atmosphere a semi-final between Liverpool and City deserves."

While fans will have to travel south by road over the Easter weekend for Saturday's game amid a lack of train services due to engineering works, the other semi-final on Sunday is an all-London affair between Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

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