Albion (home)
- Federico Nieves has a pragmatic, flexible tactical outlook, and Albion’s play against Liverpool in the cup reflected that.
- They will sit deep, be compact enough to disrupt the rhythm of the hosts and look to hit on the break or from set pieces.
- Albion have shown enough offensive brilliance in their most recent five competitive games to suggest they can hurt Liverpool.
- Facundo Abreu opened the scoring in their cup win over Liverpool.
Liverpool (away)
- The visitors are also looking to avenge their 2-0 defeat in the Copa de la Liga a few weeks ago.
- Liverpool, who finished 2025 as one of the country’s top two or three clubs, will be eager to make an immediate impact under Camilo Speranza.
- The squad is designed to play a pressing, possession-based style that dominates territory and wins the ball back in dangerous areas.
Head-to-Head
- Albion have had the better of this fixture since 2022, taking positive results in several meetings.
- Liverpool were beaten 2-0 by Albion in their last cup game on 13 January 2026.
Key Players
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Liverpool
- Abel Hernández has been a focal point for Liverpool’s attacking play since the start of 2025 as their top scorer.
- Matías Ocampo brings pace and combination play.
- Thiago Vecino can come in and make the chances happen if Hernández is marked out of the game.
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Albion
- Facundo Abreu is their danger man after opening the scoring in the cup win.
- Nahuel Roldán adds energy and late-game threat, scoring an 89th-minute winner in the last round.
Betting Insights
- Liverpool are favorites to win at 2.18, but Albion are priced at 3.15 and the draw at 3.2, which seems generous given it is a home game for Albion.
- Home advantage should be enough for Albion to edge out a victory, but their recent cup win suggests this will be a tough game.
- Backing both teams to score at 1.85 looks a fair bet as this should be an open game with Albion chasing a goal and Liverpool loaded with forward strength.
Prediction
There will be a chess-match aspect to this clash of two contrasting styles, but we believe there will be goals on Friday .
