Barnsley visit Liverpool in the FA Cup

Barnsley beat York and Peterborough to reach the third round and will be hoping for another win against a side two divisions above their last FA Cup opponents. 

On the occasion, Hourihane said “It is one that we’re all really looking forward to and one that would be a special occasion for everyone really.” 

He added: “It will be an amazing night out for the fans, club and players. 

The fans will be travelling in their numbers, and we want to make them proud.” 

The Reds will be backed by a sold out away end containing 6,000 fans, and the game will be broadcast live on TNT Sports. 

There are no replays after they were scrapped in the 2024-25 competition, meaning the tie will go to extra time and penalties if Barnsley can get that far. 

It will be a tough ask for the 17th placed League One outfit, who have been on a tough run of form recently. 

However, the Reds can draw inspiration from their last three visits to one of England’s most iconic grounds. 

A 0-0 draw in the 1982 League Cup was followed up by a win in 1997 in the Premier League where an Ashley Ward strike saw the Reds claim a 1-0 victory. 

Then there was the famous late Brian Howard goal in the FA Cup in 2008 which saw Barnsley win 2-1. 

Hourihane alluded to having to suffer in a block at times, which may mean Barnsley come away from the game with a more respectable scoreline than their last two encounters with Premier League opponents. 

They were trashed 7-0 at Old Trafford, where Barnsley’s high line was severely punished. 

Then they lost 6-0 at home to Brighton this season in the EFL Cup.  

It was a better performance against the Seagulls as Barnsley hit the woodwork a few times, however the Reds still came away from the game with a bit of a battering. 

Additionally, Barnsley have had a little longer to prepare for the fixture, after the Port Vale game was suspended due to a frozen pitch at Vale Park. 

New signing Eoghan O’Connell could also be involved, however is unlikely to start after nearly five months without playing a competitive game.

Hourihane also confirmed that Nathaniel Ogbeta will be involved after coming back into training. 

Marc Roberts would not have made the Port Vale game due to his injury, however, may make the Liverpool game. 

As for Liverpool, they sit fourth in the Premier League table after a 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Thursday. 

They are 10 games unbeaten; however, it would be fair to say that performances have dropped off from last season. 

After winning the Premier League last campaign, Liverpool spent big in the summer looking to build whilst on top, bringing in Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong for a combined mouth-watering amount of money. 

However, Liverpool have struggled at points this season with manager Arne Slot under significant pressure a few weeks ago. 

Mo Salah is away at AFCON so won’t be involved, whilst Isak is injured with a broken leg, and Conor Bradley came off late against Arsenal with what looked like a knee problem. 

Liverpool could rotate and that's what they did in the EFL Cup against Crystal Palace at Anfield which saw them knocked out.

They also rotated in last season’s 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup against Plymouth at Home Park.

Barnsley will put out a strong side you’d imagine, with one eye on the next league game against Blackpool the following Saturday of course. 

Barnsley will be missing captain and Evertonian Luca Connell for the fixture, after his straight red card away at Wigan for violent conduct.

It is unsure whether Barnsley will bring in anymore new signings before the game. 

After the game away at the Premier League champions, Barnsley host Blackpool on the 17th of January, before visiting Reading on the 24th of January, then they visit Cardiff midweek on the 27th of January and then they end the month hosting Stevenage at Oakwell on the 31st of January.