Liverpool’s bad luck continues with tough FA Cup quarterfinal draw against Man City
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Who was the one club Liverpool didn’t want to get in the FA Cup quarterfinal draw?Probably the team that is the only side to have done the double over Liverpool in the league in the last decade.If I could have chosen one fixture I didn’t want, I’d have chosen this one. That said, Chelsea got luckier than anyone with Port Vale at home.Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round | Liverpool FC/GettyImagesThe likes of Chelsea and Arsenal could progress to the semi-finals without having played a Premier League team in the competition, whereas Liverpool will have had to play three from the top flight, two of them away from home.The main problem isn’t so much the difficulty of the fixture (although that is annoying, and getting tough draws makes it a lot harder to win the competition), but the fact that while Arsenal can put the kids and the reserves out, Slot will probably have to field more key players than he would have against a Championship side.It just feels like one of those seasons where Liverpool are not getting the rub of the green.Anyway, I’m certain the players will see it differently — they love big games and will see this as an opportunity to get revenge for the league double.
There is no doubt they will be very determined to make sure it isn’t three defeats on the bounce to Pep Guardiola’s men.What did we learn from Liverpool’s last trip to the Etihad?It’s hard to analyse when a key goal at a key point in the game is disallowed for no reason.But what I do remember is that Jeremy Doku loves playing against Liverpool, and he is the man to watch (as well as various other super-expensive players). FBL-ENG-PR-LIVERPOOL-MAN CITY | PAUL ELLIS/GettyImagesIt’s harsh to pick on key moments, but ultimately, had Mo Salah played a simple pass in the 5v2 situation against Wolves last week, Liverpool almost definitely get the three points.Capitalising on situations like that could be vital against City in this FA Cup final eight matchup.
It certainly won’t be if they progress to the Champions League quarter-finals, the first leg of which will take place just a few days after the cup game.Man City might be out of both the Champions League and the Premier League title race by then and be throwing everything at this competition.Liverpool might be out of the Champions League too, but they will still be fighting for a top-five spot whatever happens in the league between now and then.Either way, this will be a real test for the Reds. The FA Cup isn’t much of a priority for big clubs these days, but if Liverpool can win it and achieve a top-five finish (third place is still very possible), you would think, and hope, that a lot of Slot’s critics would be silenced.But if a Champions League quarter-final against PSG is just days away, you would expect Slot to field a weakened side.