Liverpool get their FA Cup campaign underway on Saturday lunchtime when they welcome League Two strugglers Accrington Stanley to Anfield.
In a dream tie for the fourth-tier outfit, this will be their first clash against Liverpool since reforming in 1968.
Match preview
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For 2022 winners Liverpool, they will enter this campaign hoping for more FA Cup success than they have managed in previous years.
That victory three seasons ago remains their only FA Cup crown in almost two decades, and they were dumped out in devastating circumstances last season, losing in extra time to rivals Manchester United in a 4-3 thriller at the quarter-final stage.
It was Man United who last visited Anfield too, holding Arne Slot's men to a 2-2 draw in the Premier League last weekend, meaning the Reds were unable to stretch their current six-point lead at the top any further.
Despite being eight-time winners of the FA Cup, the EFL Cup has been their competition in recent years, winning it in 2012, 2022 and 2024, but they suffered a minor setback in the semi-finals of that competition on Wednesday, losing the first leg 1-0 away to Tottenham Hotspur.
That ended a 24-game unbeaten streak, and condemned Slot to just his second defeat as Liverpool boss, with the first coming against Nottingham Forest, the side they will face immediately after this cup tie, so all eyes may already be on midweek.
Only Tamworth's clash with Spurs and Morecambe's trip to Chelsea will see more places between two opponents in the pyramid across all of the third-round ties, so a home win is almost a given here, especially considering Liverpool have only lost at this stage once in 13 seasons, and that was away to Wolves.
While it will be a first meeting between the two since Accrington's reformation in the mid-1960s, Liverpool did beat the original Accrington Stanley side 2-0 in this round of the FA Cup all the way back in 1956.
Keeping the score down in similar fashion would most likely please Accrington boss and Liverpool lad John Doolan, who has previously worked in the academies of both Liverpool and Everton.
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A remarkable statistic is that the modern Accrington have never lost a third-round tie before in the FA Cup, progressing to the fourth round on all four previous occasions.
However, in three encounters with Premier League opponents - all in the fourth round - Stanley have lost each one - versus Fulham in 2010, Middlesbrough in 2017 and Leeds United in 2023.
The visitors have performed much better than last season, when they were beaten in a first-round replay by Doncaster Rovers, this time seeing off non-league Rushall Olympic, before beating Swindon Town on penalties.
Doolan's men also enter the fixture in fine form, winning both of their games in 2025 so far, at home to Grimsby Town and away at Colchester United.
Accrington ended 2024 on a seven-game winless streak, just one point above the relegation zone, but those fears have been eased slightly, since moving five points clear of the drop, meaning they can be more relaxed heading into this once-in-a-lifetime fixture.
Team News
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Slot will leave most of the first-team out here, and even if some of the fringe players may be kept back, in favour of handing starts to some Liverpool youngsters.
James McConnell, Tyler Morton, Trey Nyoni and Jayden Danns are just four of the youth members expected to feature here, having also played a part in their EFL Cup run so far.
Joe Gomez remains out with a hamstring injury, and Jarell Quansah joined him on the sidelines after being forced off in the first half at Spurs on Wednesday.
Among the first-team players who could feature, Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa and keeper Caoimhin Kelleher all did not start in North London in midweek, so may feature here instead.
Accrington will be without Jay Rich-Baghuelou and Seb Quirk for this trip to Merseyside, while Jake Batty and Dara Costelloe are doubtful.
Goalkeeper Billy Crellin is set for a busy afternoon, with fans of his parent club Everton hoping he will have the game of his life in the hope of producing one of the all-time FA Cup shocks.
Tyler Walton will be the man to watch for the visitors, given that he has scored in both FA Cup games so far, and could become the first Accrington player ever to score in the first three rounds of the competition in the same season.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Bradley, Endo, Konate, Morton; McConnell, Nyoni, Elliott; Chiesa, Danns, Nunez
Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Crellin; Love, Rawson, Awe, B Woods; Whalley, Martin, Khumbeni, Hunter, J Woods; Walton
We say: Liverpool 6-0 Accrington Stanley
While Slot is set to rotate his Liverpool side heavily, some international talent should still be on display, and they will have far too much class for the League Two outfit.
Accrington will try to keep the score down, but Liverpool have been free scoring in the Premier League and Champions League, so the outcome may look ugly at full time.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
