Liverpool and Manchester City meet at Anfield on Wednesday off the back of wildly contrasting Premier League results on the weekend and a place at Wembley is at stake.
With either Crystal Palace or Cardiff waiting in the Carling Cup final, this is a terrific opportunity for either club to land a trophy and it is the Reds who hold a narrow advantage.
An early Steven Gerrard penalty a fortnight ago at the Etihad Stadium was the only goal in a largely uneventful first leg but the tie is still very much in the balance and Manchester City will be buoyed by Sunday’s last gasp triumph in the top flight.
Mario Balotelli’s 94th minute spot-kick was enough for the table-toppers to prevail in a five goal thriller against Tottenham and, in turn, preserve their three point lead at the summit.
Having crashed out of the FA Cup to Manchester United, Wednesday’s match now represents City’s only chance of a domestic cup this term and, despite trailing by a single goal, Roberto Mancini and his players will surely still fancy their chances.
Liverpool were excellent in the opening 90 minutes of the tie but Kenny Dalglish’ side were atrocious at Bolton on Saturday, when beaten 3-1 by Wanderers, and scoring goals is a real problem for the Anfield club.
With City looking so potent in attack, Liverpool are likely to need to find the net at least once on Wednesday to advance and it could be a very nervy night for the home faithful.
The Reds have drawn seven matches already on home soil this season, often finding it nearly impossible to break visiting teams down, and more than 90 minutes could well be required to decide who will grace the famous stadium.
Already Advised: Liverpool to Qualify @ 13/10