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Liverpool vs Barnsley Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Date: Monday, 12 January 2025 Venue: Anfield Kick-off time: 745pm GMT The last of the FA Cup third round ties takes place at Anfield this Monday, in a repeat of one of the all-time great FA Cup giant killings. League One Barnsley travel to Liverpool, the scene of their epic win in the fifth round in 2008. They couldn’t do it again, could they?

David Cook

Betting Writer

Last updated: 2026-01-06

Fact checked by:

Chad Nagel

Sports & Betting Editor

5 minutes read

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Florian Wirtz of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's first goal

Florian Wirtz of Liverpool / Getty Images

Table of Contents

Liverpool will, of course, expect to make it through to round four, but manager Arne Slot will likely rotate his team after a packed Christmas/New Year schedule in the Premier League, and recent form can be looked at in two ways. Liverpool are unbeaten in nine games but have won five of their last 15 league games, in a run where they have slipped from first to fourth at the time of writing.

Barnsley come into this one with nothing to lose, but they will not be too encouraged by their own form. Conor Hourihane’s team has only won two of their last nine matches and has slid from being in the play-off picture to 17th in League One.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability

If you’re into online sports betting, you can see the pre-game odds for Liverpool vs Barnsley:

Home 1/6 (1.17) – 85.7%
Draw 11/2 (6.50) – 15.4%
Away 10/1 (11.00) – 9.1%
Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change

Head-to-Head Record

Last Five Meetings

16/02/08: Liverpool 1-2 Barnsley (FA Cup)
28/03/98: Barnsley 2-3 Liverpool (Premier League)
22/11/97: Liverpool 0-1 Barnsley (Premier League)
10/03/85: Barnsley 0-4 Liverpool (FA Cup)
19/01/82: Barnsley 1-3 Liverpool (League Cup)

Liverpool Current Form - WWWDD

Liverpool had seemed to have turned a corner in their recent run, albeit it’s still been unconvincing. In the first of the last five games, they comfortably beat Brighton 2-0 at home, before clinging on for a 1-2 win at Tottenham with two extra men.

This was followed up with a narrow 2-1 success at home to bottom-of-the-table Wolves, before a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Leeds, and a late screamer from Harrison Reed denied them a winner at Fulham in a 2-2 draw.

At the time of writing, the Reds are due to play away to Arsenal on Thursday, which is bound to impact Slot’s team selection for the Barnsley game.

Key Players to Watch

Federico Chiesa: With centre-forwards Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike both out injured, Slot may be willing to give the Italian a rare start up front.
Rio Ngumoha: The 17-year-old announced himself with a late winner at Newcastle back in August and started Liverpool’s last domestic cup game at home to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.
Trey Nyoni: Another youngster who could be given a chance to impress is Nyoni, a midfielder who also played in that Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace and has made a few Premier League appearances off the bench recently.

Liverpool Team News

As mentioned, forwards Isak (broken leg) and Ekitike (hamstring) are both out for a while. Mohamed Salah is away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations at the time of writing. Meanwhile, Stefan Bajcetic (hamstring) and Wataru Endo (knock) are both doubts.

Slot is likely to field a second-string team for this game, although he faced a lot of criticism for his team selection when they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace.

Barnsley Current Form – WLLLW

Barnsley have not been in strong form since securing the tie with Liverpool. The Yorkshire club began their last five with a 3-2 win at home to Leyton Orient, before three successive defeats.

The first of those came in a 3-0 loss at Exeter, before they squandered a two-goal lead at home to Mansfield in a 2-3 defeat. This was followed by a 0-2 loss at home to Lincoln and a 1-1 draw at Wigan, which was secured with 10 men.

Key Players to Watch

Davis Keillor-Dunn: Barnsley’s top scorer is having an excellent season, with 14 goals in 30 appearances, although he has only scored one in his last four.
David McGoldrick: The 38-year-old has played in the Premier League and internationally for Ireland. Can he have one last outstanding moment in the spotlight?
Murphy Cooper: Barnsley’s goalkeeper, on loan from Queens Park Rangers, will have to be on top of his game and will be looking to make himself a hero.

Barnsley Team News

There are no current standout injuries in the Barnsley squad, but midfielder Luca Connell is serving a suspension after being sent off in the draw at Wigan.

Predicted Line-Ups

Liverpool: 4-2-3-1
Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Gomez, Robertson, Kerkez; Nyoni, Mac Allister; Morrison, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Chiesa
Barnsley: 4-2-3-1
Cooper; Watson, de Gevigney, Shepherd, Earl; Phillips, Bland; Jalo, Kelly, McGoldrick; Keillor-Dunn

Suggested Bets

We’ve looked at the best odds out on the market, and here are some suggestions for Monday’s game at some of the top football sportsbooks:

Liverpool -2 handicap: Liverpool are heavy favourites, and if they score early, the floodgates could open (BetMGM 21/20)
Liverpool to win and both teams to score: With Liverpool likely to change their team, a Barnsley goal could well happen, even if Liverpool are unlikely to lose (William Hill 6/5)
Liverpool to win both halves: The odds for this one are decent, given Liverpool are very likely to win the tie against an out-of-form League One team (Midnite 11/10)

Value Bets

Liverpool to score more than 3.5 goals: Liverpool may not have their strongest team out, but if Slot keeps the big hitters on the bench, they could be likely to score more as Barnsley tire (LeoVegas 7/5).
First Team to Score - Barnsley: While getting the result may be out of Barnsley’s reach, a lapse in a makeshift defence is certainly possible (Betfred 10/3)
Draw: Liverpool’s second string may not be used to playing together, so you just never know (Spreadex 15/2)

Prediction: Liverpool to win both halves

Liverpool may not have been at their best recently, but the FA Cup with a different line-up is a separate matter, and they should have too much quality for Barnsley, especially if more regular starters come on later in the game.

David Cook Betting Writer

David Cook is a Freelance Writer who works across a range of media-related roles in the gaming industry; a space David has worked in since 2014. David is a former editor of a B2B gaming publication. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist and also holds a degree in sports journalism.