Liverpool play host to the minnows of Shrewsbury in an intriguing Sunday FA Cup matchup! Can the men from Shropshire pull off an incredible upset, or will the class of Liverpool tell in the end?
Liverpool will be hoping to avoid being on the wrong end of an FA Cup giant-killing on Sunday when they welcome League One side, Shrewsbury Town, to Merseyside in the third round of the competition.
The Reds‘ coronavirus outbreak is over its worst, but they are still expected to be well under full strength, which potentially opens the door for Steve Cotterill’s Shrewsbury to pull off a famous upset.
Liverpool have also not made it past the fifth round of this competition since 2014-15 and have not lifted the trophy since 2006, so their recent FA Cup record leaves a lot to be desired for such a big club.
Shrewsbury also have recent history of causing Liverpool difficulties in this tournament, having forced a replay when they clashed in the 2019-20 fourth round.
However, there are no replays at this stage of the competition this season, meaning that Shrewsbury’s dreams of making the fourth round for the third time in four seasons rely solely on registering what would be a famous win at Anfield this weekend.
Liverpool’s teamsheet for this match is more likely to be conspicuous due to who is missing, rather than who is selected, but it is sure to be an under-strength XI that takes to the field.
Andrew Robertson has now completed his three-match ban and so is free to return, but the starting XI is expected to be mostly fringe players and youngsters selected by the boss, Jürgen Klopp.
Shrewsbury have a relatively clean bill of health, in comparison to their opponents, and they will be boosted by the return of forward, Tom Bloxham, from a three-match suspension.
Daniel Udoh is a doubt after coming off just before halftime last time out against Sheffield Wednesday, but Aaron Pierre did make an appearance off the bench in that game and could start here.
Despite Liverpool having to cope with numerous absences, we are predicting a 4-0 win for the Reds, with two goals coming in each half.
Liverpool possible starting XI:
Alisson; Bradley, Gomez, Konaté, Robertson; Jones, Morton, Milner; Gordon, Firmino, Minamino
Shrewsbury Town possible starting XI:
Marosi; Pennington, Ebanks-Landell, Pierre; Bennett, Vela, Davis, Leahy; Whalley; Bowman, Bloxham
