City Look to Dominate Liverpool Again

Manchester City host Liverpool at the Etihad in a heavyweight cup quarter-final on Saturday, with a place at Wembley on the line. City arrive fresh from their League Cup triumph, while Liverpool face a defining spell in their season across multiple competitions.

Match analysis

Manchester City head into this tie with momentum. Their victory over Arsenal in the League Cup final has kept alive the possibility of a domestic double, and potentially more if they can close the gap in the league.

Cup competitions have been a strength under Pep Guardiola, and City have once again moved efficiently through the rounds, dispatching Exeter, Salford and Newcastle to reach this stage.

They have also had the better of Liverpool this season. Wins both home and away in the league underline that, including a dominant 3-0 performance at the Etihad where the gap between the sides was clear.

Liverpool, however, are still very much alive on multiple fronts. Alongside this cup run, they have a CL quarter-final against PSG and are still battling to secure a top-four finish in the league.

The issue has been consistency. Results have fluctuated, and their away form in particular has caused problems, with several defeats on the road this season.

That said, there is still enough attacking quality to make this a dangerous fixture for City. The potential return of Mohamed Salah is significant, especially given his record against City, while others such as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike come into the game after strong international performances.

From a tactical point of view, City are still adjusting. Guardiola has experimented at times this season, and while the approach used against Arsenal worked well, this is a very different opponent. Even so, City’s control at home and their track record in knockout competitions make them difficult to oppose, particularly against a Liverpool side that has struggled to find rhythm away from Anfield.

Team news

Manchester City are without Josko Gvardiol, while John Stones and Ruben Dias are both doubtful with knocks.

Liverpool are expected to welcome back Mohamed Salah after a muscle injury, although Alisson remains a doubt due to a hamstring issue. Jeremie Frimpong could also miss out after picking up an injury on international duty.

Alexander Isak has returned to training but is unlikely to feature from the start.

Odds and Tips

City have already shown this season that they can get the better of Liverpool, particularly at the Etihad.

Liverpool still carry attacking threat, especially if Salah is fit, but their away record and recent inconsistency make this a difficult assignment.

With home advantage and stronger recent results in this fixture, City look better placed to progress.

Tip: Manchester City to win at 1.78.

Don’t forget that we have Early Payout on this one – read more about it here.

Please note that the odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.

Last updated: 03.04.26