Liverpool and Norwich meet in the FA Cup on Sunday, two days after a major bombshell on Merseyside.
A Major Bombshell
With Jurgen Klopp announcing his departure at the end of the season, Liverpool now need to perform for the rest of it.
Clearing The Wreckage
It is fair to say not many people would have had Jurgen Klopp announcing his Liverpool departure on their 2024 bingo card. An announcement made on Friday, an announcement that you would have never seen coming.
The German standing down after years of standing in the technical area, the question is how Liverpool can stand up against their nearest rivals for the final four months of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
Is this news going to be the impetus for the Merseyside men to claim the biggest prizes? Is this announcement going to be the one thing that derails their bid to win the lot. Time will tell us in the end, time that is now ticking down.
Of course, it is not only the Premier League that Liverpool are in the running to win and after earning an aggregate win over Fulham in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, the Reds will soon meet the Blues of Chelsea in a bid to win this season’s first major prize.
A trip to Wembley has already been booked in for the Anfield outfit and this weekend they will look to take another step towards booking the second. Next up is the visit of Norwich, the aim is progress to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup.
The Canaries make the trip north having needed two bites of the Third Round cherry. A draw with Bristol Rovers first time around, before an eventual 3-1 comeback win at the Memorial Stadium saw them rewarded with this headline tie.
The headlines having seemingly already been made by the hosts; the visitors will look to take full advantage of this managerial state of flux. Klopp will certainly be there in body on Sunday, but will he be there in spirit?
Because of this announcement, it could either be the best time to play the current Premier League leaders or it could just as easily be the worst. This is either the one thing that Norwich manager David Wagner wants to hear or the one thing he is trying to ignore.
While the neat subplot to all of this is the friendship between the two managers due to their time at Borussia Dortmund together. Will Wagner end up being a friend to his weekend counterpart or will he end up being the ultimate foe?
But now it is time for the first of my two tips and with all the madness of the last few hours, I am going to back Norwich to take some advantage. A replay at worst, a shock win for the Canaries at best. The double chance is priced at 9/2.
In addition to this, I am going to back the visitors to score a goal in each half. One before the break, one after (or more per 45 minutes of course) and we can also declare this tip a winner. Should this one come good, the reward is a tempting 8/1.
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