The final match of the FA Cup’s third round sees hosts Liverpool heavy favorites against League One’s Barnsley at Anfield on Monday.
Arne Slot’s Reds are coming off a scoreless draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal and have not lost against Premier League opposition since November 22. That nine-match run includes five draws but Slot can’t complain too much relative to the preceding 1W-6L run (They did lost at home to PSV Eindhoven on November 26 in the Champions League).
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The visiting Tykes are a relegation candidate in the third tier, and are led by former Aston Villa, Plymouth Argyle, and — yes — Barnsley player Conor Hourihane.
He was named League One Manager of the Month in November but Barnsley are in a tough patch having won just once in their last six League One outings. They’ve been off since January 1 thanks to a January 4 postponement at Port Vale.
How to watch Liverpool vs Barnsley in the FA Cup live, stream link
Kickoff: 2:45pm ET Monday
Stadium: Anfield — Liverpool
TV channel/Streaming: ESPN+
Liverpool team news, focus
OUT: Conor Bradley (ankle), Alexander Isak (broken leg - MORE), Mohamed Salah (international duty - AFCON), Wataru Endo (knock), Giovanni Leoni (knee - MORE), Stefan Bajcetic (hamstring) | QUESTIONABLE: Hugo Ekitike (thigh)
Barnsley team news, focus
None.
Liverpool vs Barnsley prediction
A Hourihane-led upset would be the second-biggest surprise of this round (nothing’s topping Macclesfield 2-1 Palace) and while there’s romance to that, it’s fair to say we’re likely to avoid shock and by a comfortable margin. Liverpool 4-0 Barnsley .