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Semi-finals

FA Cup: Man City-Liverpool & Chelsea-Crystal Palace at Wembley

Sports Desk | banglanews24.com
Update: 2022-04-16 13:20:45
FA Cup: Man City-Liverpool & Chelsea-Crystal Palace at Wembley [photo collected]

It's FA Cup semi-final weekend at Wembley with two all-Premier League ties, including Manchester City against Liverpool - a match you can watch live on BBC One.

The Premier League's top two sides meet for the second time in six days on Saturday (15:30 BST) after playing out an absorbing 2-2 draw at Etihad Stadium in the league last Sunday.

The other semi-final is an all-London affair between Chelsea and Crystal Palace on Sunday (16:30).

Eight-time winners Chelsea are attempting to reach the showpiece final for the third straight season after finishing runners-up to Arsenal in 2020 and Leicester City in 2021.

Palace are looking to reach the final for the first time since 2016, while Liverpool have been to three Champions League finals since they last won the FA Cup 16 years ago in 2006.

Pep Guardiola's City won the FA Cup as recently as 2019.

The FA Cup - the world's longest-running knockout football competition - is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Both semi-finals will be decided on the day and teams will be able to name nine substitutes and use five as they seek a place in the final at Wembley on 14 May.

The decision to keep the semi-final between City and Liverpool at Wembley has been criticised, given no direct trains are running from either city to London this weekend.

In addition, Transport for London (TfL) said urgent safety checks being carried out on trains running on the Metropolitan line section of the Tube will coincide with the FA Cup semi-final weekend.

Reds captain Jordan Henderson said it "would have made sense" to switch the tie away from Wembley, and fans of both clubs and mayors of the respective cities had asked for a venue change.

But the game will go ahead at the national stadium, with the Football Association providing 100 free buses for fans attending the game.

The free return bus journeys "will ensure that up to 5,000 Liverpool and Manchester City supporters will be able to travel to Wembley Stadium free of charge", a Football Association statement said.

Liverpool and Manchester City have each received 34,000 tickets for the game.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp this month described the Football Association's planning for the FA Cup semi-finals as "one of the most ridiculous stories I ever heard".

Klopp added: "It makes absolutely no sense.

"I'm not sure what the FA thought - no club from the north west will be part of the semi-finals?"

Both FA Cup semi-finals have been played at Wembley since 2008 - before that, the semis had mostly been held at neutral club stadiums.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1318 HRS, APR 16, 2022
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