Manchester City and Liverpool renew rivalry just six days after their enthralling Premier League clash, as they go head-to-head for the FA Cup semifinal at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Titleholder City leads Liverpool by a point after the 2-2 draw at the Etihad on Sunday and as well as a final to play for neither will want to hand a psychological edge to the other.
Both teams came through their Champions League quarterfinal tests on Wednesday but Liverpool, who rested seven first-choice starters at home to Benfica, should be fresher than City who came through a fierce battle with Atletico Madrid in Spain.
Liverpool, who has already won the League Cup this season, is still in with a chance of an unprecedented quadruple of trophies this season while City has hopes of a treble.
The FA Cup may no longer have the status it once enjoyed but the fact that Saturday's game pits two of the strongest sides in the world together has added extra spice to the occasion.
"It is a massive competition, massive competition," said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, whose club last reached the semis in 2015, several months before he took charge.
"Obviously so far we didn't even go to the semis yet, so it's the first experience in the semifinals at Wembley – but better late than never," said the German.
"Now we are there and it means everything to us, to be honest. I hope our people can get to London. I hope they can make it and that we have the atmosphere a semi-final between Liverpool and City deserves."
While fans will have to travel south by road over the Easter weekend for Saturday's game amid a lack of train services due to engineering works, the other semifinal on Sunday is an all-London affair between Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
Palace's seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions ended at Leicester City last week and manager Patrick Vieira will hope Chelsea is still recovering from its Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid in an extratime thriller Tuesday.
While the title challengers take a break from league action, the battle for the top four and top-flight survival continues.
Tottenham Hotspur will aim to strengthen its grip on fourth place when it hosts Brighton & Hove Albion in the early kickoff on Saturday before Manchester United, who lost at struggling Everton last week, hosts bottom club Norwich City.
Fifth-placed Arsenal has suffered back-to-back losses and visits Southampton, who lost 6-0 to Chelsea last time out.
At the bottom of the table, 19th-placed Watford are at home to Brentford, while on Sunday Burnley, in 18th, travel to West Ham United who is sixth and battling for a European spot.
