Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals this afternoon.
The Reds travel to Manchester to face off against a familiar foe in the 12:45pm lunch-time kick-off.
Arne Slot has left Alexander Isak out of his squad for the crucial match after hinting at easing him back in earlier this week.
The starting line-up is as follows: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Salah, Jones, Ekitike & Gravenberch.
Subs: Woodman, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Gakpo, Robertson, Frimpong, Nyoni, Morrison, Ngumoha.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the Man City clash, he said: “Of course it’s only his first session, after three- or four-months [out], with the team but it’s good to have him back because we all know who we signed and we’ve signed an incredible striker.”
“So to have him again in a team that’s usually generating quite a lot of chances – and maybe not immediately from the first moment that he can start – but to have him bac for the last two months is, I think, very helpful for us.”
The Liverpool social media community was thrown into a frenzy of excitement earlier this week when Alexander Isak was finally pictured taking part in full-team training again for Liverpool.
The Swede has been side-lined for a considerable amount of time now, having suffered a broken leg in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur back in 20th December 2025.
He has endured a difficult first season at Liverpool, after earning a British transfer record move to the Reds last summer.
It was a move at the time that seemed to justify the pricetag, given Alexander Isak had shown that he was one of the best strikers in world football.
Scoring 54 Premier League goals across three seasons at Newcastle United, Alexander Isak had been a key reason behind Eddie Howe’s success at the club and he was now looking to take Liverpool up another level.
But, after fighting his way back to full fitness it appears that he will have to wait a little bit longer to increase his goal tally for Liverpool as Arne Slot remains cautious about not rushing the player back into action.
It is important to remember that Alexander Isak did only return to team training on Thursday, meaning this game just came too soon for the striker.
James Pearce reinforced that notion on X, providing inight into the decision to leave Alexander Isak out of the squad:
The decision was taken that it’s too soon for Alexander Isak to be involved after just two full training sessions following over three months out.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) April 4, 2026
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