Key Stats Leading Up to the Thrilling FA Cup Quarter-Final Clash Between Man City and Liverpool

Pep Guardiola’s men have already secured the Carabao Cup this season and are just 180 minutes away from another FA Cup final appearance, which would mark their fourth in as many years.

Additionally, they have reached the semi-finals for the last seven consecutive seasons, setting a new record for the competition.

City aiming for an 18th consecutive FA Cup home victory

Moreover, to highlight City’s impressive cup pedigree under Guardiola, they have triumphed in all of their last 31 FA Cup matches that weren’t semi-finals or finals, dating back to their defeat by Wigan in the fifth round of the 2017/18 season.

Another win on Saturday would see them achieve 18 consecutive FA Cup victories at home, surpassing the existing record they share with Clapham Rovers (17 wins from December 1873 to February 1881).

The last time the Reds reached the final (in 2022), they emerged victorious, defeating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time.

Arne Slot may find comfort in Liverpool’s strong record in FA Cup quarter-finals, having won 17 of their last 19. However, one of their two losses occurred in that dramatic 4-3 match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2024, marking their last appearance at this stage.

Liverpool’s resilience in quarter-finals

Furthermore, the Reds haven’t lost consecutive quarter-finals since the Bill Shankly era (1967/68 and 1969/70). Yet, they have not secured two away wins against top-flight opponents in a single FA Cup campaign since defeating Portsmouth and Birmingham in the 2005/06 season (they beat Wolves 3-1 in this season’s Fifth Round).

Though Liverpool are not currently at their peak, they are preparing to face City for the seventh time in an FA Cup clash, and they progressed in four out of the last six encounters.

City continues to pursue Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and have already beaten Liverpool home and away this season. A third consecutive defeat against City would mark the first time the Reds have suffered such a fate since 1937.

The Gunners were decisively beaten by the Cityzens in the Carabao Cup final, yet Mikel Arteta’s squad still holds a nine-point advantage with seven matches left (City has a game in hand and will face Arsenal in just over two weeks).

Will the UCL impact Slot’s selection?

It’s worth noting that Liverpool has a Champions League tie against holders Paris Saint-Germain just four days after this cup fixture, which may influence Slot’s team selection for Saturday. However, the Reds seem to have a better chance at securing silverware this season through the FA Cup compared to the UCL.

One player certain to feature is Mo Salah. The Egyptian King has been directly involved in 21 goals against City – scoring 13 and assisting 8 – and has netted in his last three FA Cup appearances.

He could potentially be joined by Alexander Isak, who faces a late fitness test after a lengthy injury layoff.

Goals seem inevitable as both teams have consistently found the net in all their FA Cup matches this season. City has notched up 15 goals across three fixtures (against Exeter City, Salford City, and Newcastle), while Liverpool has scored 10 in their matches against Barnsley, Brighton, and Wolves.

Expectations for goals

At least two goals have been scored in each of the last six head-to-head encounters too.

With John Stones rated at only a 25% chance to play and Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias confirmed as unavailable, Liverpool could exploit what is expected to be the same City centre-back duo that they faced in the Carabao Cup final: Nathan Ake and Abdukodir Khusanov.

Both teams have recorded a commendable 90% passing accuracy in the competition this season, the second-best of all teams, with Dominik Szoboszlai leading the way with 262 passes, outdoing City’s players.

Rayan Cherki (11 chances created, two assists) and Tijjani Reijnders (14 total shots, four on target) are certainly players Liverpool should monitor closely, while Szoboszlai has also proved to be a threat with eight chances created and three shots on target.

Notably, neither team has suffered defeat when scoring first in the competition this season, and both have outscored their opponents in the second half of FA Cup ties compared to the first, with each conceding just once before half-time.

Another thrilling encounter is on the horizon…