Leeds United, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday - Yorkshire's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
BARNSLEY head coach Conor Hourihane 'suffered' on his last visit to Anfield with a third-tier club, but it was still a night which he looks back on with a great deal of pride.
Back in November 2022, Hourihane was part of a Derby County side, then in League One, who took Liverpool to penalties in an EFL Cup tie following a goalless draw.
Heroics from home keeper Caoimhin Kelleher saw the hosts prevail 3-2, with the Irishman saving three spot-kicks, including one from Hourihane.
Derby, whose team also included current Reds player David McGoldrick, were beaten, but unbowed.
Barnsley's Conor Hourihane. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpeplaceholder image
Barnsley's Conor Hourihane. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
For Barnsley, producing a similarly gutsy and defiant performance in which their players showcase themselves in a positive fashion – and make the most of any chances than come their way in their efforts to spring a major shock - is their not-inconsiderable mission at Anfield.
Hourihane told The Yorkshire Post: "I feel very, very fortunate to have played against these teams and the top players.
"And I'm really looking forward to the lads to be able to do that as well because of a lot of people in that dressing room won't have experienced a top-level stadium, occasion and players.
"I really hope that they really enjoy it and put on a performance that they can look back on with real pride."
Barnsley's Vimal Yoganathan (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Barnsley's Vimal Yoganathan (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
As for his own personal experiences against Liverpool, he continued: "It ended poorly for me, if I'm being honest (with Derby). I missed a penalty.
"We suffered a lot on the night and they brought on some big boys like (Roberto) Firmino. We suffered, but we were really disciplined in our approach and managed to get it to a penalty shootout.
"They got the upper hand on that and got through. But, it's one that I look back on with real fondness in terms of there being a big Derby away attendance and they're cheering you on to get to the penalties and what not.
"I've had a couple of appearances against Liverpool. I remember when we (Aston Villa) played Liverpool at Villa Park. We were winning 1-0 until the 98th minute and then they scored two late on to beat us 2-1."
Barnsley's recent forays against Premier League clubs in knock-out competitions have been eminently forgettable occasions and fraught experiences, truth be told.
They crashed 6-0 at home to Brighton in this year's EFL Cup. Last season, they were heavily beaten in the same competition by seven unanswered goals against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
A different cup will hopefully yield a better and more memorable experience for Barnsley's current crop, with the visitors to be backed by a sell-out contingent of 6,000 fans in the Anfield Road end.
Barnsley's followers do have their own joyous Cup memories of Anfield to look back on and savour. They memorably triumphed 2-1 in their last FA Cup meeting with the Merseysiders in February 2008, thanks to a dramatic last-gasp goal from Brian Howard in a seismic cup shock.
Hourihane added: "I think Vimal (Yoganathan), off the top of my head, is one of the few that played at (Manchester) United last season. I think Phillo (Adam Phillips) and Luca (Connell) also did, but obviously Luca is now suspended (on Monday).
"So there'll be a couple of lads who will have been fortunate enough to experience a big stadium and a big occasion. But there'll be many in there that haven't.
"The last couple of times that we've played at big teams over kind of the space of a year in Brighton and Man United, we've been off and we've kind of come away with a bit of a drubbing.
"So hopefully, we can do a little bit better from that point of view on Monday night."
Recent signing Eoghan O'Connell could be handed his debut at Anfield.