Liverpool begin their FA Cup campaign with a third round clash against Shrewsbury Town on Sunday. The Reds are depleted at the moment but are still expected to have too much at home for the League One side.
Liverpool are suffering a COVID-19 outbreak in their camp with several players, alongside manager Jurgen Klopp and his assistant Pep Lijnders currently self-isolating. Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are also off to the Africa Cup of Nations which means the Reds are likely to field a youthful side on Sunday.
In fairness, Liverpool’s youngsters are not without experience in Cup competitions having made lots of appearances in the EFL Cup, reaching the semi-final this season.
Despite all these problems, Liverpool still go into Sunday’s match with plenty of confidence given their record at Anfield. They are yet to taste defeat at home this season and have won their last seven matches in front of their fans.
Shrewsbury Town came through the two previous rounds to book their place in Sunday’s clash. They reached the third round after claiming a 2-1 victory over League Two side Carlisle United with Tom Bloxham and Ryan Bowman getting the goals.
Things have not been as smooth for Shrewsbury Town in League One as they are currently in the bottom half of the table. However, Steve Cotterill’s men have shown some improvement in recent weeks with three wins and a draw in their last four matches.
One problem that still persists for Shrewsbury Town is their form on the road where they have lost four of their last six away matches.
How the bookies view it
Liverpool are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies at 5/19 with 10bet while an unlikely victory for Shrewsbury Town is valued at 14/1 by Quinnbet. A draw is set at odds of 7/1 with Quinnbet.
Head to head
Liverpool and Shrewsbury Town met twice in the FA Cup during the 2019-20 season with the Reds playing out a 2-2 draw in the first fixture before earning a 1-0 victory at Anfield.
Players to watch
Roberto Firmino’s isolation period is expected to end before Sunday’s clash and he could be one of the few senior players to feature for Liverpool. The Brazilian striker should lead the line for the Reds and is priced at 23/20 by Unibet to find the net.
At the other end of the pitch, Joel Matip is also coming to the end of his isolation period and could be in line to start in central defence. Liverpool have kept clean sheets in five of their last seven home matches and could be set for a repeat at 11/10 with Skybet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Liverpool earned a win to nil in the last meeting with Shrewsbury Town and a similar outcome is priced at 6/5 with bet365. The Reds often claim comfortable victories at home and could be backed in the -1 handicap market at 4/6 with SpreadEX.
Liverpool were the only team to score the last time they faced Shrewsbury Town at Anfield and William Hill is offering 11/10 for a repeat.
This FA Cup match between Liverpool and Shrewsbury Town will be played on Jan 9, 2022 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Liverpool vs Shrewsbury Town prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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