2017-01-17

It will be a night to remember on the south coast on Wednesday, as fourth-tier Plymouth Argyle play host to Premier League outfit Liverpool in an FA Cup third-round replay at Home Park.

The League Two side secured a valiant 0-0 draw on Merseyside in the original tie, turning in what their manager Derek Adams described as one of the best defensive performances seen at Anfield.

The Reds, who fielded their youngest-ever side against Argyle last time, will be out to scupper any hopes the Pilgrims have of an upset.

Home Park's capacity crowd of almost 17,500 will make this as uncomfortable as possible for the Premier League side and will provide a raucous backdrop to an absorbing clash.

Here are the vital viewing details ahead of this one and a closer examination of how both sides are shaping up for this third-round tussle.

Date: Wednesday, January 18

Time: 7:45 p.m. (GMT), 2:45 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK), Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)

Live Stream: BT Sport website (UK), FOX Sports 2GO (U.S.)

Team News

Plymouth: After the team’s defensive masterclass at Anfield, expect to see Adams field much of the same personnel in this one.

Likely XI: Luke McCormick; Oscar Threlkeld, Yann Songo’o, Sonny Bradley, Ben Purrington; Connor Smith, David Fox, Jake Jervis, Graham Carey, Jordan Slew; Paul Arnold Garita

Liverpool: Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will most likely rotate his XI again, although it's likely we will see more familiar faces in the XI. Defender Joel Matip remains a doubt, with the club confirming there is yet to be clarity from FIFA as to whether he can play.

Likely XI: Loris Karius; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Lucas Leiva, Alberto Moreno; Kevin Stewart, Ovie Ejaria, Adam Lallana; Sheyi Ojo, Ben Woodburn, Daniel Sturridge

Preview



In a month in which Liverpool play Manchester United, Chelsea and a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final against Southampton, this is a fixture they could have done without.

Indeed, while plenty of their Premier League rivals will have a full week to prepare for the weekend's action, the Reds will make the trip to the south coast on Wednesday before they face Swansea City in the early game on Saturday.

Nevertheless, Klopp suggested after the stalemate at Anfield that it's a contest he is looking forward to, per ESPN's Janusz Michallik:



Given how the Reds youngsters failed to break down their determined opponents in the first meeting between the two sides, expect the German to include a few more household names in the starting XI. Loris Karius will come back into the team having impressed in the 1-0 loss to Southampton, while fringe players like Alberto Moreno and Lucas Leiva should also start.

After he sat on the bench for the duration of the match with Manchester United on Sunday, Klopp could also hand a start to Daniel Sturridge. Ahead of the clash against the Red Devils, the England international talked up his own qualities.

"I believe I'm the best striker Liverpool has, that's my opinion," he told Sky Sports. "The manager and everyone else is entitled to their opinion as well. You have to have self-belief though."

Per Daniel Storey of Football 365, starts in the league have been difficult to come by for Sturridge in recent years:

His finishing and inventiveness may be needed in this one if Liverpool are to prise open this Plymouth side.

At Anfield, the Pilgrims showed little in terms of attacking endeavour, although they were superbly organised throughout the contest, conceding only a handful of clear openings to their illustrious opponents. On home soil, they will feel confident of ruffling a few Liverpool feathers.

As we can see here courtesy of Argyle's official Twitter account, even during their 4-2 win over Stevenage on Saturday, their mind was on the clash to come with the Reds:

The men to look out for for the hosts include Jordan Slew, who netted against Stevenage on Saturday and caused some problems at Anfield with his pace, while Sonny Bradley was a tower of strength at the back in the first fixture. However, a colossal effort will be needed from the entire team again if they are to spring a major upset.

Klopp will be confident a changed XI will have too much for the League Two team, and if the hosts are to attack a little more, that should ultimately play into the visitors' hands. Eventually, Liverpool will get the job done.

Prediction: Plymouth Argyle 1-4 Liverpool

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