Arne Slot believes Liverpool's FA Cup third round tie against Accrington Stanley “feels like a Champions League final” amid the excitement surrounding the match.
The Reds welcome League Two side Accrington to Anfield on Saturday for the first meeting between the two sides in all competitions.
John Doolan is currently 19th in the fourth tier, with only Harrogate Town, Morecambe, Tamworth and Dagenham and Redbridge among them in the English football pyramid still in the competition.
Liverpool were last knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round in 2018/2019, against Wolves, and Slot has warned his players not to get carried away on this occasion to avoid an early exit.
“I think every team that plays us is a special occasion for every team we face, but especially for a lower division team, so they will all be there for it,” Slot said.
“They've probably been looking forward to this match for weeks.
“When you go to a Champions League final everyone is excited and ready and so are they. It will feel like it's a Champions League final so we have to be aware of that.
“Nine times out of ten in the first 25 minutes, half an hour is the hardest part of the match because they will still be very intense.
“It's up to us to be ready for them to want to play the best game of their lives and that's what we have to do too.”
Next up we host Accrington Stanley in the #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/4Rnqi1S0Gb
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 9, 2025
Slot was also able to provide some team news ahead of the match, with the Liverpool boss expected to heavily rotate his squad following their EFL Cup defeat to Tottenham.
Despite being forced off in the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Jarell Quansah is expected to return while Dominik Szoboszlai has recovered from his illness.
Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha, who have impressed in the Reds' academy, could also feature, and some rare minutes could open up for summer signing Federico Chiesa.
Since joining from Juventus in August, Chiesa has made just four appearances in all competitions after suffering a muscle injury early in his career on Merseyside.
The Italy international has since bounced back from that setback but is yet to feature for the Reds, with Slot saying he must continue to compete with the club's star players.
“Every match is an opportunity for everyone to get some playing time. Not only has it been difficult for him because of all the things you said, in terms of match fitness, also having to compete with Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah,” said Slot.
“Everyone knows the numbers that Salah brings, there are not many reasons to take him out, and he is so fit. He was the fittest player coming into pre-season. And he is doing everything he can to improve his match fitness retain.”
“So it's not just about Federico with his limited playing time. It certainly has something to do with the way he came in. The rest were already training a lot, and we had to bring him in to get match fit.
“It's a combination of reasons. Let's see how much he can help us because the second half is more important than the first.”
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