Can League One Barnsley repeat their famous 2008 FA Cup shock at Anfield?

Liverpool welcome League One outfit Barnsley to Anfield for Monday’s FA Cup third-round tie.

The Premier League reigning champions were held to a goalless draw by league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last time out and currently sit fourth in the Premier League standings.

The Tykes battled to a 1-1 draw at Wigan Athletic on New Year’s Day and are placed 19th in League One with eight wins, five draws and eight defeats from 21 league games.

Match preview

Liverpool lost their last FA Cup tie against Barnsley in the 2007/08 fifth round, but they have progressed from their other four ties against them in 1894/95, 1905/06, 1913/14, and 1984/85.

Barnsley have won their last two games at Anfield in all competitions, winning in the Premier League in 1997 and the FA Cup in 2008. No side is on a longer ongoing winning run away at Liverpool than the Tykes (also Nottingham Forest and Atalanta on two).

The Reds have progressed from 13 of their last 14 FA Cup third-round ties, losing the other 2-1 against Wolves in 2018/19. They haven’t been knocked out at this stage against a non-Premier League side since 2009-10, going out against Reading.

The Tykes have been eliminated in each of their last six FA Cup ties against Premier League sides since knocking Chelsea out in the quarter-final in the 2007/08 campaign.

Liverpool have won eight of their last nine FA Cup home matches (D1) since losing 3-2 to West Brom in January 2018. In fact, their last two home defeats have been against W teams (Wolves and West Brom) – they’ve won their last nine home FA Cup matches against sides not beginning with W by an aggregate score of 25-6.

Barnsley have been unimpressive in their away games in recent months, with only two wins in their last 12 fixtures on the road, alongside six defeats and four draws.

Team news

Liverpool

Conor Bradley was forced off with a knee injury in the Arsenal stalemate and is unavailable.

He joins Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Stefan Bajcetic, Wataru Endo and Giovanni Leoni on the Reds’ injury list.

While Mohamed Salah is still away on international duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Barnsley

Luca Connell is suspended after being sent off in the Wigan draw.

Predicted line-ups

Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Ramsay, Gomez, Robertson, Kerkez, Nyoni, Mac Allister, Frimpong, Jones, Ngumoha, Chiesa.

Barnsley: Mahoney, Watson, Gevigney, Shepherd, Earl, Phillips, Bland, Jalo, Kelly, McGoldrick, Keillor-Dunn.