The FA Cup may have lost some of its lustre in recent years but plenty of magic remains when the tournament can throw up ties like Accrington Stanley's trip to Anfield.
The romance of the cup is alive and well after the third-round draw threw together two clubs who first became associated with each other in a famous 1980s TV advert for milk.
Plenty of Liverpool's worldwide fanbase would also have been wondering, ‘Accrington Stanley? Who are they?' when the draw was made and it would be the biggest shock in FA Cup history if the League Two strugglers pulled off an Anfield victory.
Stanley sit 19th in the fourth-tier table but their form has picked up a little of late, with back-to-back victories over Grimbsy and Colchester after going five games without a win.
Taking on arguably the best team in Europe this season is a massive step up in class but I'd imagine Arne Slot will use this game to rotate his squad during a demanding run of fixtures.
Liverpool had an EFL Cup semi-final in midweek, with our man Gabriel left disappointed after going for goals in the 1-0 loss to Spurs, and next up is a crunch Premier League game at Nottingham Forest just a few days after Stanley come calling.
Slot will probably give fringe players a chance to shine but the Reds reserves should still have too much quality for minnows Accrington, especially with the game being held at Anfield.
How the bookies view it: No Stanley spark
It's hard to see a shock in this cup tie and BoyleSports make Accrington Stanley 28/1 outsiders. Even the draw is huge at 12/1 and Liverpool are a tiny 1/20.
Head to head: Long time no see
These sides have faced off just once before and it was also in the FA Cup third round back in 1956. That match was held at Anfield too and Accrington put up a good account of themselves, going down just 2-0. But in those days there was just one division between the sides, with Liverpool stuck in the second tier and Stanley in the Third Division North.
Players to watch: Chiesa out to break his duck
Federico Chiesa has featured just a few times for Liverpool since joining in the summer due to injury issues but could be unleashed from the start here. The Italian is evens at BoyleSports to open his account in a red jersey.
Accrington's Shaun Whalley heads to Anfield with his tail up, having netted three times in his last two outings. The midfielder is on the penalties and he's 15/2 to shock Liverpool with a goal.
Probable line-ups
Joe Gomez misses out for Liverpool due to injury while Dominik Szoboszlai is a doubt with illness. Slot could give a few of the Anfield kids a chance to impress but Accrington Stanley should field their strongest available side.
Liverpool: Kellaher, Tsimikas, Endo, Quansah, Bradley, Morton, Nyoni, Jones, Elliott, Chiesa, Jota.
Acrrington Stanley: Crellin, Love, Awe, Rawson, Woods, Whalley, Khumbeni, Martin, Woods, Hunter, Walton.
Anything else catch the eye?
Even with a shadow side, Liverpool should have too much firepower for the minnows and Slot will be looking to kill the tie off early. So I fancy over 1.5 Liverpool goals in the first half at 20/21 with BoyleSports.
The Premier League side could rack up plenty of corners if Stanley decide to park the bus and backing over 9.5 Liverpool flag kicks pays 6/4.
Stanley could try to knock the Reds out of their stride with some meaty challenges so I like the 6/4 on offer at Bet365 for Accrington -1 in the card handicap.
This FA Cup match between Liverpool and Accrington Stanley will be played on Jan 11, 2025 and kick off at 12:15. Check below for our tipsters best Liverpool vs Accrington Stanley prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
