LONDON • Liverpool are one step away from Wembley in the League Cup, but have been promised a testing start to their FA Cup campaign by underdogs Exeter City.
Exeter manager Paul Tisdale has warned that a run of four straight defeats does not reflect how his team have been playing.
"I happen to think that we have been playing pretty well," said Tisdale, whose side have reached the third round for the first time since 2005.
Exeter sit 16th in the bottom division, 76 places below Liverpool in the English league. But Tisdale, in charge since 2006, says that his men will take the fight to the visitors as they look to pull off a result comparable to their 0-0 draw with Manchester United at this stage 11 years ago.
"It's a compromise between how much you risk, but what we don't want to do is just go into the game to defend," said the former Southampton defender.
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EXETER V LIVERPOOL
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Singtel TV Ch109, tomorrow, 3.55am
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FA Cup
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The five all-Premier League ties in the third round
Tomorrow
Arsenal v Sunderland
Norwich City v Manchester City
Southampton v Crystal Palace
Watford v Newcastle United
Sunday
Tottenham v Leicester City
Exeter's best run came in 1981, when the third-tier side reached the quarter-finals. Liverpool are seven-time winners but they last lifted the trophy in 2006.
Reds manager Juergen Klopp said he would be forced into fielding a makeshift side owing to injuries to 10 senior players.
"The team that plays tomorrow will want to win this game 100 per cent, but it will be a team that hasn't played together too often," the German told a press conference yesterday. "I don't know who will be available. We will train in two hours and see who will play."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE