Liverpool vs Barnsley Tips & Preview - Reds to show superior quality over lower league side

By Tolu Shotade

11 Jan 2026

Tolu Shotade 11 Jan 2026

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Liverpool to play Barnsley in FA Cup third round.
Liverpool unbeaten in last 10 matches.
Barnsley struggling with form, winless in 5 of last 6.

Liverpool vs Barnsley

Liverpool begin their campaign in the English FA Cup with a third-round home clash against Barnsley on Monday night.

The Reds are beginning to build some consistency and will view this clash as a chance to show some dominance. They should be too strong for the League One side, who are struggling at the moment.

Liverpool News

It has been an overall difficult campaign for Liverpool, who have struggled to hit last season’s title-winning heights. However, they appear to be slowly getting their groove back and are unbeaten in their last 10 matches.

Manager Arne Slot will take some positives from the 0-0 draw at Arsenal as they had a shutout against the Premier League leaders. Liverpool have also won two of their last three home matches.

Liverpool are showing some defensive solidity lately and have kept clean sheets in two of their last three matches. They also have quality going forward and scored in both halves in a recent home victory over Brighton.

Barnsley News

A 1-0 victory over Peterborough United was enough to earn Barnsley a place in the third round. Patrick Kelly’s effort midway through the second half proved the difference as they held on for the win.

However, it has been mostly downhill for Barnsley since that victory, having lost four of their last six matches across all competitions. Conor Hourihane’s team are also winless in five of their last six matches and were held to a 1-1 draw at Wigan in their last League One outing.

Barnsley have looked slightly unconvincing going forward lately, failing to score in two of their last four matches. They have also been at the receiving end of heavy defeats like the 3-0 thrashing at Exeter in a League One clash.

Head to Head

Liverpool have two wins, while Barnsley have been victorious once in the last three matches. The last meeting was an FA Cup clash in 2008, which ended 2-1 in favour of the Reds.

Verdict

Liverpool v Barnsley

Liverpool will view Monday's clash as a chance to show some dominance and get their confidence up. Given Barnsley’s defensive problems, the Reds could be backed to score in both halves.

Barnsley have suffered some heavy defeats lately, and Liverpool could earn a comfortable victory here. The Reds could also be backed to secure a win to nil, having shown some defensive solidity in recent matches.

Liverpool

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Liverpool

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