Arne Slot has warned Liverpool’s players they cannot be complacent against Accrington Stanley given they will treat their FA Cup third-round tie at Anfield on Saturday as their “Champions League final”.
The League Two side’s visit to Liverpool will be Slot’s first experience of facing an English lower league side in a competitive game. Eighty-seven places separate Accrington and the Premier League leaders, and a win for John Doolan’s team would go down as one of the great upsets in the competition’s long history.
“I think every team that plays against us, it’s a special occasion for every team we face, but especially for a lower league team,” Slot said. “They will be all up for it. They’ve lived towards this game for many weeks. All players are fit then, there’s no one suspended. The challenge is always to bring the best out of ourselves.
“I think everybody could understand that if you go to a Champions League final, everyone is completely hyped up and ready. And that is for them. Tomorrow, it’s going to feel as if it’s the Champions League final. So we have to be aware of that. Nine out of 10 times, then the first 25 minutes, half hour, is the most difficult part [of the game], because they will still be very intense. And it’s up to us to be ready for them wanting to play the best game of their lives. And that is what we have to do as well.”
Liverpool played the role of magnanimous hosts by allowing Accrington to use the club’s training ground on Friday because their own facilities have been hit by the recent cold weather.
Slot could afford minutes to a number of fringe players on Saturday, as well as those building up fitness after returns from injury. Among those likely to feature against Accrington is Federico Chiesa, the Italian having started only once since joining from Juventus for an initial £10m in the summer, making four appearances in total, and generally failing to prove his worth.
“He has to compete with the likes of Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez and Mo Salah,” Slot said. “It’s a combination of reasons why he didn’t play that much but let’s wait and see in the coming weeks and months if he is able to help us because the second half of the season is even more important than the first half.”
