Liverpool vs Barnsley Prediction: Reds can call on Curtis

Barnsley will be eyeing a giant-killing on Monday (19:45 GMT, TNT Sports 1) when they travel to Anfield to take on reigning Premier League champions Liverpool in the third round of the 2025/26 FA Cup.

Below are my Liverpool vs Barnsley predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot made wholesale changes for his side's last domestic cup game, a 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on October 29, and the Dutchman is expected to heavily rotate again for the visit of Barnsley on Monday.

Expect big-hitters like Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike to sit this one out, particularly with the latter missing the Reds' last couple of games with muscle problems, allowing the likes of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Joe Gomez, Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa to show what they're all about.

Mohamed Salah remains on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt, while Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley (both knee), Calum Scanlon (hamstring), Wataru Endo (ankle) and Alexander Isak (leg fracture) are on the club's treatment table.

Football Odds

Unlike Liverpool, who were in Premier League action on Thursday at Arsenal, Barnsley haven't played since New Year's Day, when they drew 1-1 at Wigan Athletic.

With another five days until their next game, at home to Blackpool on Saturday afternoon, Tykes head coach Conor Hourihane could select his strongest starting XI at Anfield, although midfielder and captain Luca Connell is suspended following his red card against the Latics.

Fellow midfielder Adam Phillips, who came through the ranks at Liverpool but never made a professional appearance, should start in the engine room, though.

Liverpool vs Barnsley Odds

Liverpool (1/6) are heavy favourites to win in regulation time on Monday, handed an implied probability of 85.7%, while Barnsley are 14/1, or a 6.7% chance, to win at Anfield, just like they did in the fourth round of the FA Cup in February 2008 when Mark Howard struck an injury-time winner to dump Rafa Benitez's Reds out of the competition.

The draw, which would send the tie to extra time, is priced at 13/2, with the hosts and visitors 1/20 and 8/1, respectively, in the 'To Win Tie' market.

Anytime Goalscorer - Curtis Jones (LIV) @ 9/4

The likes of Chiesa and Ngumoha are obvious candidates in the Anytime Goalscorer market, but if you're looking for a little bit of value, I'd opt for Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, who should play the majority, if not all, of Monday's cup tie, having stayed rooted to the bench for Thursday's goalless draw at Arsenal in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old is yet to open his account for the season, and isn't regarded as a goalscoring midfielder, but he was pretty prolific at youth level, and scored five times for the Reds during the 2023/24 campaign before netting three times in 2024/25.

Today's Football Fixtures

Jones has made 15 appearances in the FA Cup, scoring three goals, and two of those strikes have come at Anfield.

Booking Points - 0-15 @ 7/4

I'm predicting one or fewer cards between Liverpool and Barnsley on Monday, and so 0-15 in the Booking Points market takes my fancy at 7/4.

Of course, Liverpool's fringe players will be eager to impress, as will Barnsley's first-team, too, but with the Reds still expected to win comfortably at home, things shouldn't get too nasty.

Last season, Liverpool hosted League 2 side Accrington Stanley in the third round of the FA Cup, and just one yellow, amounting to 10 booking points, was shown to the fourth-tier outfit, with Slot's side avoiding any cautions in that 4-0 win.

During the 2023/24 campaign, Liverpool were drawn to face Championship club Norwich City in the fourth round at Anfield, and in that 5-2 victory for the Reds, not a single card was produced.

Barnsley have already played one Premier League side this season, losing 6-0 to Brighton in the Carabao Cup, and in that heavy defeat at Oakwell last September, the Tykes didn't make a single yellow-card worthy challenge, only committing seven fouls in the whole game.