Fresh from advancing to the 2023-24 EFL Cup final, Liverpool resume their quadruple quest when Norwich City arrive at Anfield for their FA Cup fourth-round tie on Sunday.
The Reds - who are reeling from the news that Jurgen Klopp will leave at the end of the season - bested Arsenal 2-0 in their opening fixture of the tournament, while their Championship counterparts sent Bristol Rovers packing courtesy of a replay.
Match preview
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A warm embrace should be shared between the departing Klopp and long-time friend David Wagner on Sunday, but such pleasantries will cease as soon as the first whistle blows, and the former has pleaded with stunned Liverpool fans to keep their tributes in reserve while there is a quadruple to be won.
Not the first team to benefit from alarming Arsenal profligacy over the winter period, Liverpool somehow kept their sheets clean at the Emirates in their third-round tie and delivered two second-half sucker punches, as Jakub Kiwior headed Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick into his own net before Luis Diaz completed the job with a thunderous drive.
Liverpool's North London success - as smash-and-grab as it was - represented the third win of a five-match victorious run for Klopp's crop, whose green streak was snapped in a 1-1 draw with Fulham in midweek, but that Craven Cottage stalemate was enough to send the Reds through to the EFL Cup showpiece thanks to a 3-2 aggregate success.
As was the case in the 2021-22 season, Chelsea will stand in their way of EFL Cup glory and could also bid to stop Liverpool from completing a domestic double in the FA Cup too - depending on how their fourth-round battle with Aston Villa plays out - but Klopp's men cannot concern themselves with such hypotheticals at this juncture.
By beating Fulham 2-1 in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, Liverpool extended their exceptional unbeaten run at Anfield to 24 matches since their 5-2 humbling at the hands of Real Madrid, and 11 of their last 12 FA Cup ties against lower-division sides have ended in victory.
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On the other side of the coin, three of the Reds' last four Anfield defeats in the FA Cup have actually come against teams in the Championship, allowing the Norwich faithful to travel to Merseyside with a sliver of optimism, however miniscule it may be.
An unwanted and potentially unforeseen third-round replay with Bristol Rovers materialised when the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road, and the Canaries soon found themselves 1-0 down in the rematch too, but Gabriel Sara, Adam Idah and Kenny McLean's efforts saw the visitors complete a Liverpool-esque comeback.
That was the second of three successive wins for Wagner's men, who dented West Bromwich Albion's promotion hopes with a 2-0 beating on January 20, only to follow that up with a 1-0 loss to Leeds United on Wednesday as Patrick Bamford headed home the only goal of the contest.
Still playing catch-up in the playoff race as they languish in ninth in the Championship standings, Norwich now bid to avoid an unlucky number 13 in the FA Cup; while playing outside the top flight, they have lost their last 12 FA Cup games against teams competing in the first tier.
Norwich's most recent victory over Liverpool actually came on the Anfield soil, although that was almost 30 years ago in April 1994, and the Reds' 2-1 win in the 2021-22 fifth round saw the Merseyside giants march to their seventh triumph in a row over a beleaguered Norwich unit. A similar result on Sunday would be an ideal beginning to Klopp's farewell parade.
Team News
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After providing the assist for Kiwior's unfortunate own goal at the Emirates, it was revealed that Alexander-Arnold had suffered a painful hyperextension of his knee in North London, but the right-back might be in contention to make his competitive comeback on Sunday.
Andrew Robertson was already back on the bench at Craven Cottage in midweek, three months on from dislocating his shoulder while playing for Scotland, and Klopp is also expecting Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) to participate in the fourth round barring any late complications.
However, none of Joel Matip (knee), Ben Doak (knee), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (hip) or Kostas Tsimikas (collarbone) are ready to play, while international duo Wataru Endo and Mohamed Salah are not at Klopp's disposal either, although the latter is currently undergoing treatment for a muscular injury which forced him to fly home from the Africa Cup of Nations.
In contrast, Norwich have no Africa Cup of Nations or Asian Cup absentees to factor in for the fourth round, but the Canaries did lose Danny Batth to a hamstring problem in the first half of their replay with Bristol Rovers.
Batth's issue is not a serious one, but Wagner has conceded that the centre-back is facing between 10 and 14 days on the sidelines. However, the Canaries boss should be able to call upon a ready-made replacement.
Grant Hanley was not involved in the loss to Leeds following a back problem, but the experienced defender did return to training prior to the Elland Road sojourn and is expected to be involved in the fourth-round tie.
However, Wagner has revealed that both Josh Sargent and Jon Rowe, the latter of whom broke his hand in the Leeds encounter, will not make the trip to Anfield.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Jota, Gakpo, Nunez
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Long; Stacey, Duffy, Hanley, Giannoulis; McLean, Nunez; Sainz, Sara, Hernandez; Idah
We say: Liverpool 3-0 Norwich City
Liverpool have made a habit of falling short against Championship teams at Anfield in the FA Cup, but faced with a side whom they have not lost to in over three decades, Klopp's emotionally-charged men should avoid a repeat of unwanted history.
Furthermore, Norwich have not kept a single clean sheet away from home since the end of August, and the Canaries are unlikely to put up much of a fight in this fourth-round affair, which should be a foregone conclusion from the get-go.
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Ben Knapton
