ARMCHAIR fans will be hoping Liverpool and Manchester City serve up another thriller when the best two teams in England collide in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Last weekend's clash at the Etihad was billed as a potential title decider but the top two couldn't be separated yet again as they battled out their second 2-2 draw of the Premier League season.
Both teams followed up that epic match by reaching the last four of the Champions League, with Manchester City seeing off Atletico Madrid in Spain on the same night Liverpool were finishing the job at home to Benfica.
There's a good chance they will face off in the final for Europe's biggest prize so this FA Cup tie probably isn't the last clash of these titans this season.
Jurgen Klopp's side are still chasing an unprecedented Quadruple while City remain on course for the same Treble that local rivals Manchester United claimed in 1999.
Something has to give at Wembley and it will be fascinating to see if Pep Guardiola can outwit Klopp to lay down a marker for the rest of the season.
How the bookies view it
This match is so hard to call but the bookies make Manchester City odds-on favourites to qualify at a best 8/11 (Unibet) while Liverpool are as big as 5/4 (SportNation).
For a win inside 90 minutes, Guardiola's side are 13/10 at Betfred with the Reds 23/10 at Bet365. Another draw at 90 minutes will be popular with punters and it pays 45/17 with SBK.
Recent head to head
Manchester City have now lost just one of their last nine games with Liverpool, although five of those matches have ended in draws. The last FA Cup meeting was a 1-0 Liverpool win back in 2003 but they faced off at Wembley in the 2019 Community Shield (below) with City winning on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate.
Players to watch
The pace of Raheem Sterling was a huge threat for City against Liverpool's high defensive line and only a narrow offside call denied him what would have been the winner last weekend. The winger looks good value for a cup goal against his old club at 40/17 with SBK.
Sadio Mane looked back to his best for Liverpool at the Etihad and it was a surprise when Klopp substituted him in the second half with the game still in the balance. The Senegal striker is 11/4 with Unibet to net against City for a second successive weekend.
Anything else catch the eye?
I thought last weekend's game would be another thriller and backing over 1.5 first-half goals paid off for me. Cup semi-finals can often be a bit more cagey though so I'm going to bet on less goalmouth action here, with under 2.5 strikes paying 13/11 with SBK.
Betting against corners also paid off at the Etihad with a total of just five. None of the last five meetings has seen over seven so under 10 corners looks great value here at 111/10 with Bet365.
There were some tasty tackles last Sunday and it could be a busy day for the ref at Wembley. Fabinho picked up one of four Liverpool yellows and is 2/1 at Unibet for another card in this semi-final.
This FA Cup match between Manchester City and Liverpool will be played on Apr 16, 2022 and kick off at 15:30. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
