Fresher Reds to inadvertently do City a favour
The top two sides in English men's football go head-to-head for the second time within a week, this time in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday afternoon for a place in the showpiece against either Chelsea or Crystal Palace in May. Both teams had bruising encounters in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, but Liverpool had the luxury of rotating some of their key players where Manchester City did not. Read our preview here:
Silver Sterling
The hosts' slender aggregate win over Atlético Madrid for a semi-place against Real came at a big cost in terms of injuries. Both Kyle Walker and the in-form Kevin De Bruyne had to come off during the tempestuous encounter, and it would represent a risk on Pep Guardiola's part to rush either back into action. As a result, Raheem Sterling is set for a role through the middle of attack. The former Red has a notoriously poor record against his former employers, a fact compounded by the goal he had chalked off last week. Elsewhere, Rúben Dias could feature from the bench.
Trent's embedded
Jürgen Klopp won't have been completely happy at the manner of his side's progression as they let Benfica roar back into the tie and draw 3-3 in the second leg. Recent games have started to uncover some flaws in both the defence and midfield areas. Trent Alexander-Arnold is peerless going forward from right-back, but he can leave his teammates exposed at times. Nevertheless, he remains one of the best playmakers in the sport, and will look for the returning Mo Salah and Sadio Mané with long passes.
Betting tip
Though not the be-all and end-all, both teams would love to win a famous treble in 2021/2022, but given Man City's greater injuries and lack of rotation, Liverpool look the more likely to achieve that. bet365 have odds of 2.75 for a Reds triumph within normal time.
