Coach Arne Slot will name his strongest available Liverpool side for tonight’s FA Cup third-round tie against Barnsley at Anfield.
The Reds boss is determined not to repeat last season’s shock defeat 1-0 to Plymouth Argyle.
“Last season I made the decision that some players needed to rest in the FA Cup because you cannot play every player every single time,” Slot said. “But it is obvious that we are not in the League Cup any more and the FA Cup has always been very important for this club.”
Liverpool’s FA Cup record has been patchy over the past decade. Slot pointed out that the circumstances have changed this season. “Sometimes in a season when you are still competing for the League Cup, the Champions League and the league, with the amount of players we had last season and we have this season, you have to make choices.
“I can guarantee you that tonight you will see all the players you saw against Arsenal on Thursday, maybe with some substitutions but then they will be on the bench. That is going to be different from last season against Plymouth.”
Slot also warned that Barnsley are not to be underestimated, citing their historical record at Anfield. “I am not sure because we all know that in the FA Cup or cup competitions things can happen, but you cannot compare Plymouth away with the players we played back then to Barnsley at home.”
Liverpool will be without Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo, and right back Conor Bradley, who faces season-ending surgery.
However, Slot remains confident in his available squad. “Gomez, Federico Chiesa, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Giorgi Mamardashvili and our younger players Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are all options to start tonight,” he said.
Barnsley, 17th in League One but winless in their last four league matches, won their last FA Cup tie 1-0 at Peterborough, and boast the division’s joint-top scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn. They also have a strong Anfield record, winning their last two visits – in 2008 and 11 years earlier in the Premier League – and not losing at the stadium since 1959.
“Tonight, we are focused on the FA Cup, and we will take Barnsley very seriously,” Slot added, making it clear Liverpool are treating the tie as a top priority.
