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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has asked his players to be at their best when they face Manchester City this weekend. The two teams will clash in the semifinals of the FA Cup tomorrow (April 16) at Wembley.
This will be the second meeting between the Reds and the Cityzens in less than a week after their Premier League encounter on April 10. They played out a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola's team looking like the better side for much of the contest.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of his side's FA Cup semifinal, Klopp acknowledged that Liverpool weren't at their best last weekend. He said (as quoted by The Kop Times):
“We think a lot about these games. We have to. City were really strong last week and we were not at our best.”
The German tactician went on to add:
“So, I’d like to see a game where we are at our best. It would be interesting so why don’t we give that a try? That would be nice, it could be a surprise if all of a sudden, we are good.”
Klopp believes his side did get some things right at the Etihad. Having been down 2-1 at the break, the Reds leveled the scores less than 50 seconds into the second half. However, their manager believes they have another level to hit:
“The boys did a lot of good stuff in the game, but there were a couple of things and I know that we can perform to a different level.”
He concluded by adding that a knockout cup contest could pose challenges of its own:
“Then it’s a cup game, a one-off, and if it’s 2-2 again then it’s 120 minutes then it’s penalties, that would be really crazy to go all the way.”
Liverpool and Manchester City enjoyed fruitful midweek outings in the UEFA Champions League
Both Liverpool and Manchester City played the second leg of their respective UEFA Champions League quarterfinal outings on Wednesday (April 13). There was good news for both teams as they sealed their spots in the last four.
The Reds, who held a 3-1 lead against SL Benfica after the first leg in Portugal, drew 3-3 at Anfield in an engaging contest to win the tie 6-4 on aggregate. They will face Villarreal in the semifinals.
The Cityzens, on the other hand, entered Wednesday's second leg in the Spanish capital with a 1-0 advantage against Atletico Madrid. They played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw to make it into the last four, where they will take on Real Madrid.
