The Football Association (FA) on Friday confirmed the dates of the FA Cup semi-finals, which will see Liverpool take on Manchester City, while Chelsea play Crystal Palace.

The highly anticipated showdown between Premier League leaders Manchester City and title chasers Liverpool will take place on Saturday, April 16 at 3.30pm local time.

The showdown between the two London clubs, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, will take place the following day, April 17, at 4.30pm local time.

Both games will be held at Wembley, as per FA Cup custom.

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In addition to announcing the dates for the two semi-final matches, the FA also announced 100 free buses for Manchester City and Liverpool fans.

The buses, which will run from the Etihad Stadium and Anfield to Wembley and back, will help transport as many as 5,000 fans from each side to the semi-final venue on April 16.

The decision to provide the free buses was taken in light of the fact that there will be no available trains to London from either Manchester or Liverpool on April 16 due to ongoing engineering works.

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“The FA is pleased to announce that a limited number of free return bus services will be provided for both the Emirates FA Cup and Vitality Women’s FA Cup semi-finals involving Liverpool and Manchester City on Saturday 16 April to support fans from the north-west who wish to travel to and from London,” the FA said in a statement.

“The FA will charter 100 buses from Anfield and the Etihad Stadium respectively to Wembley Stadium and back. This will ensure that up to 5,000 Liverpool and Manchester City supporters will be able to travel to Wembley Stadium free of charge for their semi-final tie,” the statement added.