Man City host Liverpool as FA Cup quarter-finals take centre stage on Saturday
The FA Cup quarter-finals land on Saturday with three matches spread across the day, starting with the heavyweight clash between Manchester City and Liverpool at 12:45 PM BST. Chelsea host League One's Port Vale at 5:15 PM before Arsenal round off the day at Southampton at 8:00 PM.
City and Liverpool collide at the Etihad
The standout tie sends Liverpool to the Etihad just weeks after City beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. Mohamed Salah is expected to return after missing recent matches with a muscle injury, which is significant given his announcement that he will leave the club this summer. Every cup tie now carries extra weight for his farewell season.
Pep Guardiola is without Josko Gvardiol through long-term injury, and Ruben Dias remains a doubt after missing the League Cup final. Marc Guehi, ineligible for that final, is available to anchor the defence. Erling Haaland has scored in three consecutive home appearances against Liverpool and will lead the line.
Liverpool's Arne Slot will be without Alisson Becker and Conor Bradley, with Giorgi Mamardashvili continuing in goal. The midfield pairing of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister gives Liverpool control, while Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai are expected to operate behind Hugo Ekitike.
Chelsea look to avoid an upset against Port Vale
Chelsea's season has hit a rough patch. Four consecutive defeats, an 8-2 aggregate Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain, and a slide down the Premier League table have made the FA Cup their best remaining route to silverware. Liam Rosenior is under heavy pressure.
Port Vale, bottom of League One with seven wins from 38 league matches, have been a different side in the cup. They stunned Sunderland to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since the 1953-54 season. New Zealand international Ben Waine has scored the winner in their last three FA Cup rounds. The two clubs have not met competitively in 97 years.
Arsenal head to St Mary's with one eye on the Champions League
Arsenal, nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, will rotate for the trip to Southampton. Mikel Arteta is expected to rest Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice ahead of next week's Champions League quarter-final. Martin Odegaard could return to the squad after a knee injury, while 16-year-old Max Dowman may get another chance on the right wing after his breakthrough in the previous round.
Southampton sit in the Championship but arrive in strong form, unbeaten in 14 matches across all competitions under Tonda Eckert. They are missing suspended pair Flynn Downes and Kuryu Matsuki, and captain Jack Stephens is a doubt with an ankle knock. Ross Stewart, whose stoppage-time penalty booked their quarter-final place against Fulham, leads the attack.
West Ham versus Leeds on Sunday completes the quarter-final lineup.
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