Manchester City host Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and football pundits are all in agreement on who will go through
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrating after scoring the second goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield on December 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Liverpool face Manchester City in the FA Cup(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Manchester City are set to face Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals and according to numerous football pundits only one team stands a chance of winning. Pep Guardiola's squad have outperformed the Reds in both encounters this season, securing victories by 3-0 and 2-1 respectively.
City will still be riding high from their Carabao Cup triumph, where they defeated Arsenal 2-0 to win their first piece of silverware this campaign. Liverpool, on the other hand, were knocked out of the competition by Crystal Palace but remain in contention in the Champions League, where they're set to face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.
City were dumped from Europe by Real Madrid and trail the Gunners by nine points in the Premier League. They're dreaming of a domestic double, while Liverpool are simply eager to secure some success this season.
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The FA Cup clash is expected to be fiercely contested, but three football pundits believe there's only one possible outcome regarding who will advance.
Here, the ECHOexamines what these experts have predicted for the upcoming showdown on Saturday.
Paul Merson - Man City win
Paul Merson acknowledged that the FA Cup encounter was a "hard game to predict" but believes that Guardiola will triumph over Arne Slot for the third occasion this season. Speaking to Sportskeeda, the former Arsenal player said: "I was at Wembley and saw Manchester City beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final.
"Arsenal were terrible in that game, they couldn't get out after the first 15 minutes. But I also don't remember Kepa being forced to make any big saves at the same time.
"When I watch Liverpool, sometimes they are good and the other times, they are completely and utterly out of it. Just look at the second leg against Galatasaray. Liverpool won that game quite comfortably and then looked poor in the loss to Brighton.
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024 in London, England.
Paul Merson thinks City will get the job done(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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"Consistency is non-existent at Liverpool. So it will come down to what version of Liverpool will turn up in this game at the Etihad on Saturday. Liverpool have a big week or two coming up. If they are not careful, their season could be all over!
"Even though Liverpool have their Champions League quarter-final against PSG coming up on Wednesday, I expect Arne Slot to field his best eleven here. Let's be honest, Liverpool have a better chance of winning the FA Cup than the Champions League. So I would say they should go all in this weekend and then take it from there.
"Manchester City did not look like world-beaters during the cup final win over Arsenal. And as an ex-professional footballer, I did not like the show-boating from Rayan Cherki. He's fortunate we are in 2026 and not the 1990s. It was a bit disrespectful.
"This could go any way, but I'm backing Manchester City simply because of how inconsistent Liverpool have been this season."
Clinton Morrison - Man City win
Former footballer Clinton Morrison working as a Sky Sports pundit during the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Ipswich Town at The Coventry Building Society Arena on April 30, 2024 in Coventry, England.
Clinton Morrison thinks there's a lot of pressure on Liverpool(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
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Clinton Morrison believes there's significant pressure on Liverpool and that they will falter due to defensive issues. He told FreeBets: "There's massive pressure on Arne Slot here because this is the only chance Liverpool have of bringing silverware through the door this season.
"But I actually think the bigger priority for Liverpool right now is getting into the Champions League, that's more important than the FA Cup. If you're not in the Champions League, you lose players.
"That said, they still need to get through Man City, who are in brilliant form. You saw what they did to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. Pep will want another trophy and they'll go for this. The way Liverpool are playing at the moment, I wouldn't make them favourites.
"In a one-off game they can beat anyone, but I just feel they're a bit vulnerable at the back. I'm going Man City."
Joe Cole - Man City win
Joe Cole takes part in the draw for the Quarter Finals prior to the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between West Ham United and Brentford at London Stadium on March 09, 2026 in London, England.
Joe Cole believes the Reds will fail(Image: West Ham United FC/West Ham United FC via Getty Images)
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Joe Cole joined Joe Hart and Glenn Hoddle in a discussion about who would clinch the FA Cup. He expressed his belief that City would secure the trophy after Darren Fletcher posed the question.
Speaking on TNT Sports, the former Chelsea player said: "I've just got a sneaky feeling for Joe [Hart]'s mob [Manchester City]."
He further commented: "Nostalgia is a big thing in this current age. There's always been people harping on about the good old days, but now, music, fashion and football, all three things go hand in hand and the FA Cup encompasses all three things.
"I think there has been a big push back and this year's FA Cup final, something incredible is going to happen, it has to."
Chris Sutton - Man City win
Chris Sutton, former professional footballer, pundit and commentator sports broadcaster working for Sky Sports portrait before the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest at St James' Park on October 5, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Chris Sutton doesn't think Liverpool will be able to deal with City's attack(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
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Chris Sutton follows the crowd with his prediction that City will make it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The former Blackburn Rovers star thinks that Liverpool's recent form will play a part in this battle.
Writing on his BBC Sport column, Sutton said: "It seems a section of Liverpool fans are not convinced by Arne Slot, and the Reds' poor Premier League form before the international break has put him under more pressure. Liverpool have taken one point from their past three games and their last performance, in an away defeat at Brighton, was really insipid.
"I still think it would be extremely harsh if they end up parting ways after the guy won them the title in his first year in the job but this feels like a huge week or two for Slot, and for Liverpool's whole campaign, with the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris St-Germain to come in France on Wednesday.
"Right now, Liverpool are miles off the team they were last season and beating City probably feels more achievable than getting past PSG. I'm not convinced they will do it though, and if they end up going out of both competitions in the space of 10 days then the Liverpool fans are going to be even more disgruntled.
"City are already out of Europe, and it will be hard, but not impossible, for them to win the Premier League from here, but Pep has already landed the Carabao Cup and he always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway. They are looking to extend their own record by reaching the semi-final for the eighth successive season and, if they get to the final, they will be the first team to make it to four in a row.
"City could really do with getting Erling Haaland firing again, while this is Liverpool's first game since Mohamed Salah announced he will be leaving at the end of the season. There are so many different ways to look at this tie, and who might step up to win it for either team, but City are at home and they have also beaten Liverpool twice already this season in the league. I just have a feeling they will take this one as well."
Alan Shearer - Man City win
Alan Shearer ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Newcastle United FC and FC Barcelona at St James' Park on March 10, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Alan Shearer is convinced City will go all the way(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Alan Shearer believes City's recent Carabao Cup win will boost their confidence and they could go all the way to the FA Cup final. Speaking to the Metro, he said: "The confidence and the belief that City will have after winning the Carabao Cup, and the way they did, will give them great belief and confidence to go again.
"There’s a lot of talk about Pep, and will he be here next season? Obviously, there’s a lot of talk about Liverpool and how poor they’ve been.
"For both clubs, there are huge talking points, but I think City will have enough to get through and I think they could go all the way in the FA Cup."
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