Date and time confirmed for Liverpool v Barnsley as Reds face arduous nine-match January | OneFootball

The date and kick-off time for Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round fixture against Barnsley has now been confirmed.

The Reds have already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup this season – something which hasn’t exactly left Arne Slot devastated – but they’ll enter the other domestic knockout competition next month, along with the other Premier League and Championship clubs.

The draw for the third round may have gone somewhat under the radar on Merseyside as it was held at the same time that the head coach was addressing the media last Monday evening in his first press conference since Mo Salah’s explosive comments after the 3-3 draw at Leeds, but it threw up a meeting with another Yorkshire club.

Date and time set for Liverpool v Barnsley in FA Cup third round

On Friday afternoon, the FA confirmed the televised selections for the third round of the FA Cup (via thefa.com), with the Premier League champions unsurprisingly chosen as one of the TV picks.

Liverpool will welcome Barnsley to Anfield on Monday 12 January with a 7:45pm kick-off, with the match to be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.

The Tykes will actually be aiming for a third successive win in L4, having triumphed away to the Reds in this competition in February 2008, and also on their sole Premier League visit in November 1997.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Expect changes aplenty from Slot for FA Cup clash

With the FA Cup clash being the fourth of nine matches in January for Liverpool, and coming just four days after a top-flight meeting away to Arsenal, it seems almost certain that Slot will heavily rotate his line-up for the Barnsley game.

Unlike last season, the Reds boss won’t have the luxury of resting his most important players for the final league phase fixture in the Champions League, as we won’t be assured of a top-eight finish by the time we play Qarabag at Anfield at the end of next month.

Liverpool’s fixtures in January 2026

The fitness and availability of certain first-team players at the time of the FA Cup fixture will also determine which and how many changes the head coach makes to his starting XI.

At least the Barnsley game falls amid Liverpool’s quietest portion of January, with the Arsenal clash taking place four days prior and then a five-day gap to the Premier League match at home to Burnley.

With the Carabao Cup gone and the retention of our top-flight title looking incredibly unlikely, the FA Cup may well represent the Reds’ best chance of a trophy this season, so hopefully Slot won’t be as dismissive of this fixture as he was with the Crystal Palace match in late October.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Inter Milan press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: