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Manchester City square off with Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday afternoon, marking the end of a gruelling run of fixtures for Pep Guardiola's side. 

Last weekend, City played out a scintillating 2-2 draw with Jurgen Klopp's men, with that game being sandwiched between two mentally draining clashes with Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. 

Manchester City did get through that stretch unbeaten however, and booked their ticket into the semi-final of the Champions League, setting up another tough tie with Real Madrid.

Should the Blues overcome their rivals at Wembley Stadium this weekend, sending them in to a second FA Cup final under Pep Guardiola, it would cap off a fantastic period for the club. 

Speaking ahead of what will likely be another classic between Manchester City and Liverpool, centre-back Aymeric Laporte has claimed that if all goes well, it could be the one of the best weeks of the players' careers.

“I think we have to go step by step, like we have done in the last years,” Aymeric Laporte said in an interview with ManCity.com.

“We have the team to go to the end to win everything, but we know exactly where we are, and we know we are fighting in three competitions. We know that it will be tough, but I think that we can do it and we will go for that. [This week] is something amazing that we probably don’t realise right now."

Aymeric Laporte continued, “I think if everything goes how we want then it can be one of the greatest weeks as a professional. We have to keep focused, keep doing what we are doing and hopefully we can win the matches. When you win a match, it is always easier and right now I feel fresh.”

Manchester City will certainly be up against it on Saturday however, with both Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker set to spend time on the sidelines, after picking up injuries on Wednesday in Madrid. 

However, Aymeric Laporte and his Manchester City teammates will be hoping that their deep squad and the 'magic of the cup' can see them through to the final.

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This article first appeared on FanNation City Xtra and was syndicated with permission.

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