Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher is braced for a tough afternoon in the FA Cup fourth round tie at Plymouth Argyle on Sunday
Caoimhin Kelleher admits Liverpool are braced for a hostile reception at Plymouth Argyle on Sunday – but is confident Arne Slot’s side will be mentally prepared for the challenge. The Reds make the long journey to the South Coast to take on the Championship strugglers in their FA Cup fourth round tie.
They go into the game on the back of having secured their place in a second successive League Cup final with a 4-0 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final second leg on Thursday.
Plymouth stand bottom of the Championship, but followed a draw at promotion-chasing Sunderland with a home triumph over West Bromwich Albion last time out and won at Brentford in the third round.
And Kelleher, who is expected to keep his place in goal having been recalled for the Tottenham thrashing, is adamant Liverpool know what to expect at Home Park, which is expected to be a 16,000-plus sell-out.
“It’s going to be difficult,” said the Republic of Ireland international. “It’s obviously a massive game for them, us coming there is going to be huge. They’re going to be ready (and) the fans are going to be ready for us.
It’s going to be a tough game. Maybe they’re not having the best season but that kind of goes out of the window in a cup tie. They might see it as a chance to ignite their season and get something going, especially with us coming into town.
We know they’ll be well up for it. (But) the mentality in the whole group is always spot on.
“We want to win every game we’re involved in, and I think that’s kind of the mentality – game by game. Obviously we’re a difficult team to beat in cup competitions.”
Liverpool are expected to make a raft of changes for the tie, with a number of fringe and younger players coming in as was the case in the third round win over Accrington Stanley last month.
And Kelleher, speaking to liverpoolfc.com, added: “It’s a squad that everyone needs to be ready to step in and everyone needs to play their part.
(The manager) shows us all the time that there’s times in the season when you have injuries and in certain situations like that, squad players need to come in and do their bit as well.
We train how we play, we’re always on it every day. That breeds good intensity into the squad, and everyone is ready to step up if needed.”
