Which Club Will Come Out On Top In Liverpool And Manchester City Rivalry?

Liverpool and Manchester City are probably the best two clubs in Europe currently. But the fine margins of elite sport mean one of the two is likely to be disappointed at the end of the season.

Liverpool and City are battling for the Premier League title, FA Cup and Champions League. Their respective performances in the next six weeks or so, will see which club looks back on this season as a success.

Premier League race to go down to the wire

In the first of those competitions, City remains the favorite to retain the league title, but only just. Last weekend, the pair played out a thrilling 2-2 draw which underlined how evenly-matched these two sides are.

A couple of months ago, City looked to have the title wrapped up. But a home defeat to Spurs opened the race up and, after last weekend’s draw with Liverpool, City lead by a single point with seven matches to go.

The respective run-ins seem to favor City, which will play teams primarily in the bottom half of the table. Its hardest match, at least on paper, is away at West Ham on May 15. Liverpool’s fixtures, while not exactly frightening, do include two derbies, against Manchester United and Everton, and a home match against in-form Spurs.

With only a single point between the teams, one slip-up could be crucial.

Winner of semi-final will be FA Cup favorite

Tomorrow, City and Liverpool meet in the semi-final of the FA Cup. The winner will be the favorite to triumph over Chelsea or Crystal Palace in the final on May 14.

Given the fine margin between the two sides, it is hard to pick a winner from tomorrow’s match at Wembley. Both league fixtures this season have finished in 2-2 draws and tomorrow is set to be another tight contest.

Liverpool, which last won the FA Cup in 2006, may have a slight advantage after both teams played in the Champions League in midweek. While the Reds were able to rest several key players in the draw with Benfica, City had an energy-sapping battle with Atletico Madrid. Though the hard-fought 0-0 draw was enough for City to advance, it came at a cost. Kyle Walker and influential playmaker Kevin De Bruyne were both injured. Neither is expected to play against Liverpool tomorrow.

A Liverpool Vs. City Champions League final?

Real Madrid and Villarreal will have something to say about it, but there’s a good chance Liverpool and City will also meet in the final of Europe’s biggest club competition.

City play Real Madrid, which overcame holders Chelsea, in the semi-final. On course to win LaLiga and the most successful team in the history of the Champions League, Real Madrid cannot be taken lightly. But Chelsea exposed the Spanish side’s defensive fragility and City should have enough to advance.

Similarly, Villarreal should not be underestimated after knocking out Juventus and, this week, Bayern Munich. Liverpool, though, has a far stronger squad and must be the favorite over the two legs.

If the two English sides advance, it sets up a mouth-watering final between two great rivals in Paris on May 28.

What counts as a successful season?

Given their fine form in recent seasons, both teams naturally want to win as much as they can with the current cycle of players.

While both would welcome the FA Cup (Liverpool already have this season’s League Cup), the Premier League and Champions League are undoubtedly the most prestigious prizes. For City, the club’s desperation to win a Champions League makes you think they would sacrifice the league for it if given the choice. Particularly after losing the final last season.

For Liverpool, which won its first league title for 30 years in 2020, another league crown would be a huge achievement, especially given City’s earlier lead. A seventh Champions League title would also represent a fantastic season.

If one club were to win both, or even an historic treble with the FA Cup, it would be considered one of the great seasons.

These are two fantastic teams. But only one of them may remember the current season as one which was fantastic.