London: With Manchester United visiting Anfield on Saturday in the fourth round of the FA Cup, Liverpool’s players have no time to sit back and congratulate each other on their League Cup semi-final win over Manchester City.
Liverpool reached its first final since 2007 on Wednesday when it completed a two-legged win over the Premier League leaders, but Dalglish now wants to prevent a repeat of last season’s FA Cup — when United knocked Liverpool out in the third round.
“We’ve got to Wembley. That’s all we’ve achieved so far,” Dalglish said. “We’ve not been there for a while, so I think that in itself is an achievement. But that’s not where our ambitions stop.
“We want to continue and do as well as we can between now and the end of the season.”
That means reviving the Reds’ league form, but only after trying to end United’s run of three straight victories in the pick of the weekend’s 16 FA Cup matches.
United kicked off that streak with a 3-2 FA Cup win at Manchester City but heads into a run of tough fixtures including Premier League matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham with several injury concerns.
Nani and Phil Jones were both substituted because of injury against Arsenal, with the Portugal winger possibly out of action for two months with what may be ligament damage or a broken metatarsal.
With Nemanja Vidic out for the rest of the season and Rio Ferdinand’s fitness still patchy, there is little chance that stand-in skipper Patrice Evra will be rested against Liverpool.
The game will be the first between the traditional rivals since Evra’s accusation that Luis Suarez racially abused him resulted in an eight-match ban for the Uruguay forward.
“It wouldn’t be a consideration,” United assistant manager Mike Phelan said. “Patrice Evra is a football player, who plays for Manchester United. If he is fit, he is considered to play like any other player.”
Elsewhere, Chelsea’s travels to Queens Park Rangers for the first match between the west London rivals since John Terry was charged by police for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand in October.
Terry has denied the charge but the clubs released a joint statement to fans appealing for calm and warning supporters that they face punishment if they indulge in offensive chanting.
“Discrimination has no place in football or society,” the clubs said. “Both clubs enjoy fantastic support. However we would remind fans that, while we want to hear their passion, it’s a fact that hatred and abuse is not what being a fan of QPR or Chelsea is about.”
Arsenal hosts Aston Villa in another all-Premier League encounter on Sunday. Sunday’s other match in football’s oldest competition features Sunderland hosting local rival Middlesbrough.
Tottenham heads to Watford on Friday, when Everton hosts Fulham.
On Saturday, it’s Blackpool vs. Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton vs. Swansea, Brighton vs. Newcastle, Derby vs. Stoke, Hull vs. Crawley, Leicester vs. Swindon, Millwall vs. Southampton, Sheffield United vs. Birmingham, Stevenage vs. Notts County, and West Bromwich Albion vs. Norwich.
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