Liverpool have drawn Wolves as their next FA Cup opponent, and will head to Molineux twice in four days.
The schedule is looking kind to Liverpool, who should be able to go on a nice winning run in the coming weeks.
They play Nottingham Forest and West Ham to round out February, then head to Molineux on March 3rd for a Premier League clash. On March 7th, they will be back there again — this time for a fifth round FA Cup tie.
% chance of us making it through to the quarter final? đź‘€
Let us know below!
FA Cup draw
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
It’s not the first time the Reds go back-to-back against the same opponent, and history suggests it may not go to plan.
Liverpool’s history of double-headers doesn’t provide encouragement for FA Cup
You might remember a similar situation last season, where Liverpool faced Brighton twice in three days.
Arne Slot was in the early goings of his Liverpool career, and strung together two convincing wins.
First in the Carabao Cup, and then a league match that sent Liverpool to the top of the table, where they would remain for the rest of the campaign.
Mohamed Salah scores against Brighton
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
But that was an outlier. Usually, Liverpool fumble one — sometimes both.
Against Chelsea in 2018, they crashed out of the League Cup and followed it up with a draw three days later. Against Leicester the season prior, it was a cup loss followed by a league win.
Liverpool actually played Arsenal three times in a week in 2008, with a Premier League clash sandwiched between two legs of a Champions League quarter-final. Two tense draws at the Emirates were followed by a win at Anfield to settle the European tie.
There is an example to take encouragement from, though. Liverpool faced Man City twice in four days in 1995, winning by an aggregate score of 10-0.
In the main, the Reds tend not to win both. In the case of Wolves, a perfect record has to be the expectation. History doesn’t support that, though.
Discuss: Diomande has already proven he’s the BEST replacement for Mo Salah!
Diomande, Doue, Williams and Barcola have been named as potential options…
Yan Diomande gestures to teammates during RB Leipzig's Bundesliga match with VfL Wolfsburg at the Red Bull Arena. Bradley Barcola looks down during PSG's FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Real Madrid in New Jersey. Nico Williams pictured in action for Athletic Bilbao in their Europa League semi-final clash versus Manchester United. Desire Doue during Paris Saint-Germain v Lille OSC - Ligue 1 McDonald's.
Credit: Boris Streubel/Maciej Rogowski/Eurasia Sport Images/David Ramos/Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Liverpool can’t prioritise either fixture
The unfortunate situation with Liverpool is that they can’t take the foot off the gas in the league, but Slot needs the FA Cup to keep the pressure off.
With the squad down quite a few players, rotation is difficult.
Luckily, it’s against one of the worst top-flight sides in recent years. That should mean Liverpool don’t need a full-strength XI, but then again, the threat of an upset cannot be ignored.
Whether he prioritises strength in the FA Cup will depend on how the next three league fixtures pan out, and how far they are off Champions League qualification.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox