16:27
The players are getting ready! Manchester City vs Liverpool FC. The duel of the giants goes into the next round. Who goes into the final? We can look forward to 90 minutes of top-flight football.
16:19
The Reds have changed a lot too. On the defensive, Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk and Robertson come back into the back four. Keïta stays in midfield and is joined by Fabinho and Thiago. In the storm we see the wingers from Mo Salah and Sadio Mané again today. Luis Díaz starts up front today.
16:17
Unsurprisingly, compared to the Champions League game during the week, both teams saw a lot of rotation in the starting XI. Cup keeper Steffen starts with the Citizens today. Aké and Zinchenko start in defense, Cancelo moves to the right flank and Stones starts again as a central defender. The three-man midfield consists of Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho and Phil Foden. Kevin De Bruyne is initially on the bench. The offensive line consists of Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Grealish. This is how Pep Guardiola wants to lead his team to the semi-finals.
16:06
During the week both teams were challenged in the Champions League. City had the slightly heavier task. Away, the Skyblues had to play against Atlético Madrid, who are extremely uncomfortable to play on and were able to move into the semi-finals of the premier class in a difficult game with a goalless 0-0. City had to fight until the final minute to survive against snappy Madrilenians. The Reds, on the other hand, hosted third-placed Benfica in the Portuguese league. With a comfortable lead from the first leg, Jürgen Klopp was able to rest some of his top performers. The fans at Anfield were treated to a high-scoring game that ended in a 3-3 draw. The first leg also earned Liverpool a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The fact that two of the four semi-finalists of the most important European competition are here today should speak for the quality of this game.
16:01
But there won’t be a division of points this afternoon. If necessary over the full distance, one team will leave the field as winners today and move into the final of the FA Cup. The task couldn’t be harder. Both teams have only lost one game in their last 15 games. Liverpool have 12 wins, two draws and one defeat in the Champions League second leg against Inter Milan. The Citizens have ten wins, four draws and one home defeat against Spurs. After the draw on the previous day, the two coaches Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola had the opportunity to analyze the few weaknesses on the other side and to prepare their team for this cracker.
15:51
For the second time in a very short time, there will be a direct duel between what are probably the best teams in Europe. Both teams had to compete against each other in the Premier League last weekend. In a fast-paced, intense football game, City and Liverpool drew 2-2, leaving the championship battle open. The Citizens’ Kevin De Bruyne scored early in the game (5′) and Gabriel Jesus scored shortly before the break (37′). The Reds countered with Diogo Jota, who was in strong form, to equalize in the meantime (13′) and Sadio Mané immediately after the restart (46′). Liverpool initially found it difficult to defend Kevin De Bruyne’s strokes of genius, but they got better and better into the game so that the point sharing was deserved in the end.
15:51
Welcome to the first semi-final of this year’s FA Cup. A real cracker awaits us. Manchester City welcomes Liverpool FC. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. The ticker for this game starts right before the kick-off.