A guide to the opposition: Plymouth Argyle
Liverpool begin their FA Cup campaign with a third-round tie against Plymouth Argyle at Anfield on Sunday afternoon - here is our lowdown on the League Two side.
Their recent form
A largely productive festive period for the Pilgrims concluded with a narrow defeat in their most recent outing, a 1-0 reversal at Barnet on Monday.
They had previously claimed victory at Accrington Stanley and in a home meeting with Crawley Town on New Year’s Eve, as well as in their cup replay on the road at Newport County - all with a clean sheet.
Plymouth shared six goals with Wycombe Wanderers in a 3-3 thriller on Boxing Day, meanwhile, surrendering their advantage with a minute remaining on home soil.
At the halfway stage of the season, they sit second in the League Two standings, four points behind Doncaster Rovers with a game in hand.
How they reached this stage
Argyle’s FA Cup run began two months ago, as they travelled to fellow League Two outfit Mansfield Town in the first round in early November.
Goals in either half, from Jordan Slew and David Fox, proved enough for a hard-fought 2-1 win and a place in the second stage of football’s oldest cup competition.
Next up was a meeting with another side from the same division, Newport, but a home draw did not help the Pilgrims as both teams drew a blank.
They squared off again 18 days later and another game passed without a goal – before Graham Carey became the hero of the night with a penalty winner in the 113th minute.
The manager
Derek Adams took charge of Plymouth in June 2015 and led the club to a fifth-place finish in League Two last season. Argyle subsequently reached the play-off final, where they were beaten 2-0 by AFC Wimbledon.
Prior to his arrival at Home Park, the 41-year-old Scotsman enjoyed two spells as boss at Ross County, who won the Scottish Second Division in 2007-08 and the Scottish First Division in 2011-12 under his management.
What they say
On the trip to L4, Argyle midfielder and boyhood Red Carey said: “With Liverpool not being in Europe, they could well go with a full-strength team.
“They’ll be looking to win the FA Cup, so we’ll prepare like we do for every game, and on Sunday it’s about us trying to get the best of out of us. If they make a few changes that may suit us.
“Not playing in Europe, they’ve been fresh. They play high-tempo, high-pressure attacking football. It will be a great challenge for us, and a day to test ourselves against one of the best teams in the country.”
Played for both
A total of 14 men have played for both Liverpool and Plymouth, including Bruce Grobbelaar, Jim Beglin and Brian Hall.
The last meeting
It is 55 years since the two teams last locked horns, in a Second Division encounter in April 1962, as Liverpool were en route to securing promotion back to the top flight under Bill Shankly.
Alan A’Court, Ian St John and Roger Hunt – three key figures in the club’s resurgence – got the goals to earn a 3-2 win in front of more than 13,000 fans at Home Park.
The most recent Anfield meeting was earlier in that campaign and the Reds took maximum points on that day, too, courtesy of an early goal from A’Court and a late one from St John.
They have never before clashed in a cup competition.