The Independent
·8. Februar 2025
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Yahoo sportsThe Independent
·8. Februar 2025
Liverpool are back in FA Cup action this weekend and face a long trip south to take on Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle on Sunday (kick-off 3pm, live on ITV1).
This game will be a welcome distraction for the Pilgrims who sit rock-bottom of the Championship, table with just 25 points from their 30 games so far, but the good news for them is they are still only four points from safety.
New manager Miron Muslic, who replaced Wayne Rooney last month, has seen an upturn in fortunes with one win, two draws, and two defeats from his five games in charge.
Saturday’s 2-1 home win over West Brom was their first league win in 15 games, since beating Portsmouth 1-0 on 5 November.
Their only win during that time came in the FA Cup when they secured one of the biggest shocks in the third round, beating Brentford 1-0 at the GTech Community Stadium - so you can’t completely rule out another shock this weekend.
In Liverpool, though, they face very different opposition, they have lost just three games all season: one in the Premier League, one in the Carabao Cup and a hugely weakened side that was beaten in the final Champions League group stage match.
Football betting sites have Liverpool as second favourites to be lifting the FA Cup for the ninth time, at 9/2, just behind Manchester City at 7/2 and you can get 500/1 on Plymouth winning the competition outright.
The last time Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup by a club from a lower league was back in 2017 when Jurgen Klopp was punished for naming a weakened side, as Championship side Wolves ran out 2-1 winners at Anfield, in the fourth round.
Even if Arne Slot does choose to name a weakened side on Sunday, he will no doubt have his big players ready to bring on if required, just as he did in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup.
This will be the 13th meeting between the two sides and the third in the FA Cup after they were previously drawn together in the third round in 2017 when the Reds were held to a goalless draw at Anfield before winning the reply 1-0 thanks to a rare goal from Lucas Leiva.
Betting sites have the Reds at 2/11 for the win at Home Park, with Plymouth at 17/1 and a draw after 90 minutes 15/2.
Plymouth have conceded 65 goals so far this season and conceded five in a game three times so we can back the Premier League’s leading scorers to add to that tally this weekend.
You can get 13/5 on 4.5 goals or more scored something that has happened eight times in Liverpool games this season, including in two of their last three against Ipswich and PSV Eindhoven.
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