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Liverpool logo
FA Cup | Fifth Round
Mar 2, 2022 at 8.15pm UK
Anfield
Norwich logo

Liverpool
2 - 1
Norwich

Minamino (27', 39')
Jota (34'), Henderson (50')
FT(HT: 2-0)
Rupp (76')
Byram (17'), Sargent (58'), Dowell (85')

Preview: Liverpool vs. Norwich City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's FA Cup clash between Liverpool and Norwich City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Having already collected one piece of domestic silverware this season, Liverpool will endeavour to advance to the FA Cup quarter-finals when Norwich City pay a visit to Anfield on Wednesday evening.

The Reds won a record-breaking ninth EFL Cup crown on Sunday by defeating Chelsea in a tense penalty shootout, while the Canaries most recently went down 2-0 to Southampton.


Match preview

Caoimhin Kelleher celebrates with teammates after Liverpool win the EFL Cup on February 27, 2022© Reuters

Jurgen Klopp certainly won the tactical goalkeeping battle with compatriot Thomas Tuchel at Wembley, as the Reds boss' faith in Caoimhin Kelleher was rewarded while Tuchel's late Kepa Arrizabalaga decision backfired horribly.

After 120 minutes of wasted opportunities and disallowed goals galore in the EFL Cup final, Liverpool and Chelsea struck 21 perfect penalties before Kepa - brought on specifically for the 12-yard battle - blazed over the bar to spark Liverpool delirium.

Now the most successful team in the history of the EFL Cup with nine titles to their name, Liverpool quickly turn their attention to another prestigious knockout tournament - one which Klopp has flattered to deceive in during his Anfield tenure so far.

A pair of comfortable Anfield victories over Shrewsbury Town and Cardiff City saw the Reds advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup for just the second time in seven seasons, and not since reaching the 2014-15 semi-finals have the Merseysiders managed to progress further.

A first FA Cup triumph since 2006 is on the menu as Klopp aims to keep Liverpool's hopes of an unprecedented quadruple alive, and Norwich must now face a Reds side enjoying a 10-game winning streak in all competitions and without defeat at Anfield for nearly a year.

 Norwich City manager Dean Smith reacts on February 25, 2022© Reuters

Norwich were Liverpool's earliest victims en route to their EFL Cup crown, and their fortunes have not enjoyed a dramatic uplift since the arrival of Dean Smith, whose side were outclassed and outgunned against Southampton on Friday night.

Che Adams bundled home the opener for the resurgent Saints before the half-time whistle blew, and an Oriol Romeu thunderbolt in the 88th minute condemned the Canaries to a third straight defeat amid their scrap for Premier League survival.

Holding the unfortunate honour of being the Premier League's basement side, Smith is sure to prioritise top-flight survival rather than an unlikely shot at glory in the FA Cup, especially with Norwich only making it past the fifth round once since 1992.

A pair of 1-0 wins over Charlton Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers - the latter of which was particularly eye-catching - have allowed Norwich to make it this far, but with nine goals conceded in their last three games, the Canaries will not be expecting miracles against a rejigged Liverpool side.

Liverpool and Norwich locked horns at Anfield as recently as February 19 - with the Reds easing to a 3-1 success in the Premier League for their sixth straight win in this fixture, and the Canaries are still waiting for their first victory over the Merseyside giants since 1994.

Liverpool FA Cup form:
  • W
  • W

Liverpool form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Norwich City FA Cup form:
  • W
  • W

Norwich City form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • L



Team News

Liverpool's Thiago Alcantara celebrates after the match, December 4, 2021© Reuters

Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota shook off his ankle injury in time to appear as a substitute in the EFL Cup final, but Roberto Firmino remains in the treatment room with his muscular problem.

Thiago Alcantara was reduced to tears after a knock forced him to pull out of the EFL Cup final during the warm-ups, and Klopp is sure to shuffle the pack considerably after 120 minutes at Wembley.

Kelleher's place in goal is not at risk, and the likes of Kostas Tsimikas, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harvey Elliott and potentially even Divock Origi could be drafted into the side here.

As for Norwich, Grant Hanley was cautioned in the third and fourth round wins, so the Canaries captain must serve a one-match suspension at Anfield as Christoph Zimmermann prepares to deputise.

Ozan Kabak, Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele continue their spells out of action for the visitors, but Jakob Sorensen is thought to have a strong chance of coming back from his knee injury this week.

Despite the 2-0 defeat, Smith ought to stick with the majority of the side from the trip to St Mary's, although Pierre Lees-Melou could freshen things up in the middle, and full-backs Brandon Williams and Max Aarons will need their knocks assessing.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliott, Milner, Jones; Jota, Origi, Minamino

Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Aarons, Zimmermann, Gibson, Giannoulis; McLean, Normann, Lees-Melou; Sargent, Pukki, Rashica


SM words green background

We say: Liverpool 2-0 Norwich City

A weakened Liverpool side could have Norwich sensing the opportunity for an upset, but the levels of morale in both camps could hardly be more contrasting.

The Reds will be in no mood for complacency on Wednesday and have produced dominant performance after dominant performance against Norwich, so Klopp's men should keep the quadruple dream alive with a convincing success.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data



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Written by
Ben Knapton

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Liverpool win with a probability of 81.24%. A draw had a probability of 11.9% and a win for Norwich City had a probability of 6.81%.

The most likely scoreline for a Liverpool win was 2-0 with a probability of 10.44%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (10.3%) and 2-1 (8.11%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (5.48%), while for a Norwich City win it was 1-2 (2.13%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Liverpool would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Liverpool vs Norwich

Liverpool
87.9%
Draw
6.5%
Norwich City
5.5%
199
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Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on February 23, 2022
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