Pep Guardiola might know five confirmed Man City starters vs Liverpool in FA Cup

Manchester City could be without Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne for the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, with both limping out of the Champions League clash at Atletico Madrid.

De Bruyne inspired City to a point against Liverpool five days ago that could be invaluable for retaining the Premier League and it was his goal that proved the only way to separate the Blues from Atletico over two intense legs. City saw out that tie without De Bruyne, though, after he was substituted in the second half and was seen with ice on his ankle.

Both De Bruyne and Kyle Walker — also substituted with an ankle issue — were seen walking around at full time, but Pep Guardiola said City are in big trouble when asked about the injuries after the game. Walker posted on social media that he hoped his own issue wasn't too bad.

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It would be a surprise, though, to see both players in the starting line up at Wembley. It's a huge game, but it's not worth gambling the longer-term fitness of either player. Replacing De Bruyne will be relatively straightforward, but Guardiola must decide who would get the nod instead of Walker.

Joao Cancelo is the obvious choice, but has played 90 minutes in all three intense games over the last 11 days — as has John Stones, who could also slot in on the right. Nathan Ake played at left-back in the first leg versus Atletico, and replaced Walker on Wednesday, but Guardiola could opt to recall Aleks Zinchenko to combat Liverpool's threats on the wing.

It could be one of three players, then, to replace Walker, with De Bruyne likely to be replaced by an attacker, allowing Bernardo Silva to drop back into midfield alongside Ilkay