The 150th FA Cup campaign has reached the semi-final stage with the top three sides in the Premier League – Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea – left alongside Crystal Palace, hoping to cause an upset.
Chelsea are the clear favourites to beat the south Londoners but the clash between Man City and Liverpool will be their second meeting in a week is anyone’s guess.
Much will be taken from their previous meeting though: Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are due to meet in a pivotal Premier League encounter just six days before the semi-final.
FA Cup semi-finals
- Saturday 16 April, kick-off TBC: Man City vs Liverpool
- Sunday 17 April, kick-off TBC: Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Chelsea
Chelsea are currently joint third in all-time FA Cup winners alongside Tottenham (both on eight) only have Arsenal (14) and Manchester United (12) ahead of them in the standings.
The West London club last lifted the FA Cup four years ago with Antonio Conte beating former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United 1-0 in the 2018 final.
With Liverpool and Man City battling for the title the Blues will have to settle for third which actually may be a blessing in disguise.
Thomas Tuchel would like to prioritise silverware, especially if a top four place is even safer by then, but the FA Cup may be sacrificed with the possibility of becoming the second team to win back-to-back Champions Leagues in mind.
More on FA Cup
Liverpool and Man City fans slam 'shambolic' FA Cup semi-final scheduling over Easter weekend21 March, 2022
Tuchel is delivering results and pulling crisis-mode Chelsea together, Man Utd should take note21 March, 2022
Player ratings as Diogo Jota sends Liverpool through in FA Cup with quadruple still on20 March, 2022Crystal Palace
Unlike the Premier League top three, Crystal Palace are not competing for any other trophies, meaning their chances should not be overlooked as Patrick Vieira can throw all his resources into cup glory.
The Eagles are currently twelfth in the league, a finish that would be two places better off than last season, but winning fans would happily trade those two places for winning their first ever FA Cup.
Palace came close in 2016 losing to Manchester United 2-1 thanks to a Jesse Lingard extra-time winner, and also lost to United (in a replay) in their only other final back in 1990.
Liverpool
The quadruple is yet to be completed by a Premier League side but Klopp’s team could be the first.
To deal with such a packed fixture list Klopp has often rested key players during FA Cup games: neither Mo Salah or Sadio Mane featured in the quarter-final win over Nottingham Forest.
If the Reds manage to lift Liverpool’s eighth FA Cup it will be their first in 16 years since the infamous “Gerrard final” against West Ham, when the legendary midfield scored a last-gasp equaliser to force extra-time and then scored in the shootout as the Reds triumphed 3-1 on penalties.
Manchester City
Man City cannot match the heights Liverpool’s season could reach but they are competing for a treble – the last team to win the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup was Manchester United in 1998-99.
City currently sit first in the league but will need to make use of their squad depth to fend off Liverpool while competing in European and domestic cups.
Having won the double in 2019, beating Liverpool by one point in the league and thrashing Watford 6-0 in the cup final, there is no question that Pep Guardiola’s men are capable of fighting on multiple fronts.
However, a first ever Champions League has always escaped their grasp and the hunt to finally lift the European trophy may take priority.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/EQuOkqS
Post a Comment