Liverpool next 8 games as FA Cup victory leads to hectic fixture schedule

Liverpool faces a packed schedule after booking its place in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with a home tie against Brighton awaiting next month after victory over Barnsley

Liverpool faces a packed schedule after reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool is facing a packed schedule after booking its place in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday.

A home tie against Brighton awaits next month after the Reds saw off League One side Barnsley with a 4-1 victory at Anfield. Second-half goals from Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike helped put the gloss on what was a mixed night for Arne Slot’s side.

The Liverpool boss will just be happy to have seen his team get the job done, albeit making much harder work than necessary of it after Dominik Szoboszlai’s moment of madness toward the end of the first half.

The cup does appear to be more of a priority for Slot this season, with the competition perhaps representing Liverpool’s best hope of some silverware, although the Dutchman will have to navigate a hectic schedule if he’s to take his players to Wembley again.

The Reds are still in three competitions, with the Champions League set to resume next week, and adding to what is already a packed calendar.

Liverpool's next 8 games

• Burnley (H) Premier League, January 17
• Marseille (A) Champions League, January 21
• Bournemouth (A) Premier League, Janaury 24
• Qarabag (H) Champions League, January 28
• Newcastle (H) Premier League, January 31
• Man City (H) Premier League, February 8
• Sunderland (A) Premier League, February 11
• Brighton (H) FA Cup, February 14

As you can see, the schedule is only set to become more hectic for the Reds now that they've navigated their way into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

A tie against Brighton in the next round means Liverpool will play eight games over the space of less than a month, a run that also includes five Premier League games and two Champions League fixtures.

Given the Reds face a fight just to reach the top four this season, Slot can ill afford to take any of these games lightly. To further complicate matters, the schedule could become even more packed later this month.

Liverpool currently finds itself outside of the top eight of the Champions League's league phase on just goal difference. If the Reds are unable to improve on that position in their games against Marseille and Qarabag, then they will have to go through an extra play-off round.

That would mean adding another two games onto the schedule, with the first leg of the play-offs taking place on either February 17 or 18, and the return leg on either February 24 or 25.

With Premier League games against Nottingham Forest and West Ham to fit in as well on February 21 and 28, that would mean a total of 12 games between now and the end of next month. Slot will therefore be eager for his side to secure a top-eight finish in Europe.