HP Terbaru 2023 – Liverpool host Barnsley in FA Cup tie with some unwelcome history

---

By Sam McGuire

---

The two sides faced off 18 years ago in the fifth round, with Rafael Benitez at the helm, and his weakened starting XI exited the cup thanks to a stoppage time winner for the Tykes. 

With pressure still on Arne Slot, he’ll not want a similar result here. 

The story so far

It has been a real Jekyll and Hyde campaign for Liverpool so far. They went from winning every single match across every single competition to losing nine of 12 and plummeting to mid-table. They’re currently on a 10-match unbeaten run and find themselves in fourth position in the Premier League, but performances have been underwhelming and the manager is being scrutinised. 

Barnsley have also blown hot and cold this season. 

Conor Hourihane’s men are 17th in League One having won eight, lost eight and drawn five this term. They’ve scored 33 across their 21 matches this term and conceded the same number. They have one win in their last seven league outings but have looked decent in the FA Cup, beating York City and Peterborough to reach this stage of the competition. 

Key Players 

We don’t yet know how Liverpool intend to line-up for this clash. With so many injuries to contend with, it is unlikely that Slot will go with a strong XI for this game. However, the Dutchman isn’t really in a position to name a weakened team and risk being knocked out of the cup, at home, in the third round. Perhaps Rio Ngumoha will find himself in the starting XI. If he does, it’s a chance for him to impress and potentially earn a few more minutes in the Premier League.

For Barnsley, the main man this season has been Davis Keillor-Dunn. The 28-year-old has 11 goals and an assist in League One. He has a goals per 90 average of 0.55 in the league and tops the Barnsley charts for Expected Goals this season with 7.7. He’s the primary threat for the Tykes. 

Team News

Liverpool are without a host of names right now due to injuries. Giovanni Leoni is set to miss the entire campaign following an ACL injury he sustained in the Carabao Cup clash against Southampton. Alexander Isak has a broken leg and is set to be out for a couple of months still. Wataru Endo is only just on his way back from a stint on the sidelines so might not be risked. Stefan Bajčetić isn’t expected to return to the first-team fold until the end of the month and Hugo Ekitike might be rested following a fitness issue. Mohamed Salah is set to miss the match due to his involvement with Egypt at AFCON. 

Barnsley are set to be without captain Luca Connell following his red card against Wigan Athletic in their last outing.

Prediction 

The Reds simply cannot afford a loss here, so we’re going with a narrow win. It’ll be 1-0 or 2-1. 

---

(Cover image from IMAGO)

---

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.