It’s still a massive game in 2026, but during the late 2010s and into the early 2020s, Manchester City versus Liverpool was the most anticipated matchup in football. Yes, even above El Clasico (Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona), as one of these two teams has won the Premier League title every year dating back to 2017. City won both league meetings this season, 3-0 at home in November and 2-1 at Liverpool in February. They’ll meet again, in the FA Cup, in a few weeks.
Man City is the only team this season that still has a chance of catching league leading Arsenal.
They are also still alive in the other three main competitions, so (like Arsenal) technically they can still win a quadruple, but that is very unlikely for either side as the feat remains unprecedented.
Liverpool are sixth in the table, but still alive in the UEFA Champions League, but got a bit of bad news today, when their starting goalkeeper, Alisson, was ruled out of the trip to Galatasaray tomorrow night.
The quarterfinal draw has one more all-Premier League showdown, West Ham vs Leeds.
FA Cup Quarterfinal Draw in Full
Southampton vs Arsenal
Chelsea vs Port Vale
Manchester City vs Liverpool
West Ham United vs Leeds United
FA Cup Round of 8 ties to be played on the weekend of April 4th-5th.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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.