Man City host Liverpool, Arsenal chase treble in FA Cup quarter-finals

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Liverpool face a daunting trip to Manchester City in the standout tie of the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend as Mohamed Salah seeks to end nine spectacular seasons at Anfield on a high.

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Arsenal and Chelsea will expect to reach the semi-finals at Wembley against lower tier opposition, while West Ham and Leeds put their battle for Premier League survival on hold in a bid to reach the last four.

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AFP Sport examines what to look out for in the four ties:

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Manchester City v Liverpool, Saturday 11:45 (all times GMT)

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City produced perhaps their best performance of the season to dominate Arsenal and win the League Cup final 2-0 before the international break.

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They remain in the running to match their feat as the only English side to ever win the domestic treble of League Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in 2018/19.

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Liverpool face a defining 10 days for their season and possibly Arne Slot’s future at Anfield.

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Languishing fifth in the Premier League, the FA Cup and Champions League are the Reds’ only remaining hope of glory.

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After visiting the Etihad, Slot’s men face European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals over two legs on April 8 and 14.

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Despite leading Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title less than a year ago, Slot is under huge pressure to end a difficult second season on a high if he is to remain in the job.

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The rest of Liverpool’s season will also be marked by a long farewell to Salah.

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The Egyptian announced over the international break that he will leave at the end of the campaign having netted 255 goals so far for the club.

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“Hopefully he can make his legacy even more special in the upcoming weeks and months where we still play for something special, but he will always leave this club as a legend,” said Slot.

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Chelsea v Port Vale, Saturday (1615)

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Chelsea can ill afford to add a massive cup upset to a maelstrom of discontent on and off the pitch at Stamford Bridge.

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Four consecutive defeats have plunged manager Liam Rosenior’s future into doubt less than three months into his reign.

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Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella have spoken out publicly in recent weeks, criticising the decision to sack Enzo Maresca in January.

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Chelsea then annonuced a Premier League record pre-tax loss of £262.4 million ($349.3 million) for the year to June 30 on Wednesday, sparking speculation over who the Blues may have to sell this summer.

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A Port Vale side rooted to the bottom of League One and headed for the fourth tier should still pose little problems for the Premier League giants.

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But Vale have won as many games in the FA and League Cup this season (seven) as they have in 38 league games.

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Southampton v Arsenal, Saturday (1900)

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Mikel Arteta’s team selection will be scrutinised at St. Mary’s after most of his key players pulled out of international duty with injuries.

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Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were among the 10 Gunners’ to withdraw from action with their nations.

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Arteta is seeking a reaction after Arsenal’s six-year wait for a trophy was prolonged by City at Wembley.

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But they remain in pole position for a first Premier League title in 22 years and also have a favourable Champions League quarter-final draw against Sporting Lisbon.

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West Ham v Leeds, Sunday (1530)

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The priority for both sides may be Premier League survival, but the draw has handed them a rare chance to make the last four.

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Leeds have not reached the FA Cup semi-finals since 1987, while West Ham last made it that far 20 years ago.

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West Ham sit in the Premier League relegation zone, four points adrift of Leeds, but have used the positive momentum of a cup run to turn their season around.

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Since ending a 10-match winless run against QPR in the third round, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have lost just three of 13 games.

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