For the late 2010s and early 2020s, Liverpool versus Manchester City was “the game.” Saturday won’t have the same impact or cachet as some of those previous headliner clashes, but it’ll be big enough in its own right. It certainly is the best of the lot in the FA Cup quarterfinal round. And the Reds will come into this one missing several key players- Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak and more.
So without any further ado, let’s get after it and break it all down. We actually need two different Liverpool team news articles in order to cover it all.
FA Cup Quarterfinals FYIs
Liverpool at Manchester City
Kickoff: Sat. April 4, 12:45pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Team News: Manchester City Liverpool Part 1 Liverpool Part 2
Full Detailed Injury Lists: Manchester City Liverpool
How They Got Here:
Manchester City: Newcastle 3-1, Salford City 2-0, Exeter City 10-1
Liverpool: Wolves 3-1, Brighton 3-0, Barnsley 4-1
Liverpool Team News
Let’s start with Frimpong, as he’s the newest injury concern. He was taken off after an hour during the Netherlands’ score draw with Ecuador last night
The Dutch boss, Ronald Koeman described it as “a real setback – we had to take him off.”
Not much is known about Frimpong’s injury right now, the specifics, or severity, or anything else like that at this time.. Meanwhile Mo Salah should be back from injury for this upcoming cup tie.
Asked by the club’s website yesterday, about how close Salah is to making a return, Slot said:
“Close, very close…Another example of what makes him special because the moment he got injured there was a bit of a situation where they thought, ‘I don’t think he’s available for City.’ But Mo looked at me and said, ‘I think I will be available for City.’
“He just does so much for his body for such a long time that he recovers so fast.
It sounds very promising that Salah will indeed play on Saturday.
Added Slot: “So, he will train with the team again tomorrow and if everything works well then he’s available to be with us at City.”
And then finally, with Alisson, the news is less promising. The shotstopper will likely not be available on the weekend, but the Brazilian could be back for that epic upcoming UCL match with PSG. Said Slot: “Alisson will be out for a bit longer.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.