Man City host Liverpool for FA Cup quarterfinal in crunch game for Slot

Who: Manchester City vs Liverpool

What: FA Cup quarterfinal

Where: The Etihad Stadium, Manchester

When: Saturday, April 4 at 12:45pm (11:45 GMT)

How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 08:45 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Liverpool travels to Manchester City this weekend for what promises to be the premier fixture of the FA Cup quarterfinals, as Mohamed Salah looks to conclude his remarkable nine-season tenure at Anfield with silverware.

Manchester City delivered arguably their finest performance of the campaign in their commanding 2-0 League Cup final victory over Arsenal prior to the international break. The Citizens remain in contention to replicate their historic 2018/19 domestic treble achievement, when they became the only English club to capture the League Cup, FA Cup, and Premier League in a single season.

Liverpool enters a pivotal 10-day period that could define both their season and manager Arne Slot's future at the club. Despite guiding the Reds to a record-equaling 20th top-flight title less than a year ago, Slot faces mounting pressure to secure a trophy this season following a challenging campaign that has seen Liverpool struggle to maintain their previous standards.

Currently positioned fifth in the Premier League, the FA Cup and Champions League represent Liverpool's final opportunities for silverware. Following Saturday's encounter at the Etihad, Slot's squad will face European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals across two legs on April 8 and 14.

Salah's distinguished departure

The Egyptian forward confirmed during the international break that he will depart at the season's conclusion, having accumulated 255 goals for the club throughout his distinguished career at Anfield.

"Hopefully, he can make his legacy even more special in the upcoming weeks and months, where we still play for something special, but he will always leave this club as a legend," Slot commented regarding his star player.

The 33-year-old Salah experienced a brief period out of favor, being omitted from the starting lineup for four consecutive matches at the end of 2025 amid apparent tensions with Slot and the club hierarchy. However, since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah has regained his prominent role in the team, appearing to have resolved his differences with the Dutch manager.

"That hunger never drops," Slot observed of Salah's enduring commitment. "It's the thing I find most special about him. So many good players around the world – he's definitely one of them in the last 10 years – and to show that hunger every three days, that professionalism, that commitment to the club and to the team, wanting to score again, always wanting to play… When you take him out three minutes before the end, he's like, 'Ah, maybe I could have scored one extra.'"

Slot seeks consistency from Galatasaray performance

In their penultimate fixture before the international break, Liverpool demonstrated their capability with an outstanding 4-0 home victory against Turkish giants Galatasaray in the Champions League last 16 second leg, overturning a first-leg deficit to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

However, that impressive European display was immediately followed by a disappointing 2-1 Premier League defeat to Brighton, highlighting the inconsistency that has plagued Liverpool throughout the season.

"I hope and expect we can be the team that we were against Galatasaray," Slot stated in an interview with the club website. "That's also what we need to be because City have shown… when they won the League Cup how good of a team they are, how many good players they have and how good a manager they have. It's a very nice game to look forward to."

Guardiola suspended for Liverpool clash

Manchester City will be without manager Pep Guardiola for Saturday's crucial encounter due to suspension.