‘Accrington Stanley, who are they?’ But Liverpool boss Arne Slot wary of minnows

LONDON – When Liverpool were pitted against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third-round draw, fans of a certain age would have been forgiven for shouting: “Who are they?”

A memorable British television advert for milk in the 1980s showed two boys talking about football while drinking the product in question.

Dressed in a Liverpool kit, one of the young actors tells his friend: “It’s what Ian Rush drinks.

“He said if I don’t drink lots of milk, then when I grow up, I’ll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley.”

To which the other boy replied: “Accrington Stanley, who are they?” before his co-star exclaimed “Exactly!” in a thick Liverpudlian tone.

Now Accrington, languishing in 19th place in the fourth tier, have a chance to turn the joke on its head by causing one of the FA Cup’s greatest upsets against the English Premier League leaders at Anfield on Jan 11.

There is, of course, a huge mountain to climb.

However, it is also probably a good time to play Arne Slot’s Reds, who have lost a bit of form and are on a surprising two-match winless run in all competitions.

They lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup semi-final, first leg in north London on Jan 8.

That came after last weekend’s disappointing 2-2 league draw with Manchester United at Anfield.

“I’ve only been here half a year but I know about the milk advert!” said Dutchman Slot on Jan 10, while hinting that he might, as expected, rotate his squad.

“Of course, I know a lot about the team and I will know more about them (tomorrow).

“Every game is an opportunity for my players to play.

“Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) trained with U-21s yesterday, Jarell (Quansah) was a bit ill last week, as a result I had to take him off (against Spurs) but expecting him to be available.

“We know we can use players in every game and this one Saturday.”

On facing a lower-league opposition, the Liverpool boss added: “Every team against us is a special occasion for them but especially a lower-league team, so they will be all up for it.

“They have lived this game for weeks probably, so we need to bring the best out of ourselves.

“If we go to Champions League final, everyone is hyped up and that is (what it is) for them tomorrow.

“We have to be aware of that, of them playing the best game of their lives.”

Accrington manager John Doolan, meanwhile, believes his League Two side will fight against all odds for a historic victory at one of Europe’s storied stadiums.

“Liverpool might have an off-day and we might have an unbelievable day.” he said.

“We might have Lady Luck with us, you just never know, it’s the magic of the Cup.” AFP