Bluebirds to face Liverpool this Sunday in FA Cup fourth round
THE journey from Cardiff to Merseyside took one week and it went via Barnsley.
Following a home win against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Cardiff City secured their first clean sheet in 27 games with Wednesday’s victory at Oakwell – and now they cast their eyes towards Anfield.
Cardiff’s FA Cup clash with Liverpool this Sunday is not quite a David-and-Goliath affair, but the Premier League giants will not be handing the Welsh side a win without a serious fight.
The Bluebirds got their second win on the bounce from Barnsley on Wednesday, with on-loan striker Uche Ikpeazu marking his debut for City by tucking away a 71st minute goal after only eight minutes on the pitch.
Manager Steve Morison said: “It was a horrible game and it wasn’t our finest performance, but Ikpeazu had that one moment and he got to show how strong and powerful he is.
“He is hard to stop when he gets going and is a great kid who has come into the club with a smile on his face.”
Ikpeazu’s smile won’t be coming to Anfield, though, as cup ties mean that the Middlesbrough player, along with Leeds United’s Cody Drameh, are unable to play on Sunday.
Other absences for Cardiff are likely to include captain Sean Morrison and winger Alfie Doughty, both of whom will need to recover from Wednesday’s injuries if they want to resume their Championship charge against Peterborough next week.
Liverpool will also have missing men, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both busy playing in the Africa Cup of Nations, and Divock Origi sitting the match out due to a knee injury.
Manager Jurgen Klopp still has plenty of options for his starting 11 and, although the recently returned Thiago and new signing Luis Diaz are unlikely candidates, players such as Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Diogo Jota could be getting the nod.
The Reds are well rested as Sunday will be their first game in two weeks – whereas it is Cardiff’s third match in one week – and Klopp will be wanting to get his side back into the groove while also keeping key players rested ahead of Premier League fixtures next week.
The Bluebirds will be wanting to strike a similar balance, as fan Peter Mckenzie puts it: “I don’t think we can risk people likely to be important in the next few games. I would go with a very different line up as it’s vital the first team stays fit.”
Another fan, Gareth Andrews, said: “With the run of winnable games we have coming up, I would rather see this game as a learning lesson for some of the youngsters rather than risk a more important player.
“I can’t see us winning regardless of what team we put out but Peterborough, like Barnsley, is huge so we should play the kids, enjoy the day, take the money but not forget our bread and butter.”
Hopes for a “cupset” may be limited against a home Liverpool side, but 8,000 Cardiff City fans will be at Anfield on Sunday cheering on the Bluebirds in what is set to be a memorable experience for City players both old and young.
“Playing at one of, if not the most, iconic stadiums in football – as a football player it doesn’t get better than that,” said Morison.
“Some will be scared, some will be nervous and they should be. It’s about how well they control that.
“We’ll do everything we can in the next couple of days to get them as well prepared as possible and see what happens on the day.”
- Liverpool v Cardiff City kicks off at 12pm on Sunday February 6
