Jamie Carragher has warned former club Liverpool that FA Cup failure this season is unthinkable.
With Chelsea and Manchester City both dumped out in the fourth round,
the Reds, along with Arsenal and Manchester United are heavily fancied
to go all the way.
Brendan Rodgers' men travel to Crystal
Palace in the fifth round on Saturday hoping to avoid a potentially
season-defining result like the 3-3 draw at Selhurst Park last May that
put a huge dent in Liverpool's Premier League title hopes, with City
eventually crowned champions.
Palace also ran out 3-1 winners
at home in the league clash between the sides in November and Carragher
knows Rodgers' side can ill-afford another slip-up in south London.
"There is no doubt Palace have been a bogey team for Liverpool," wrote
the legendary former Anfield defender in his weekly Daily Mail column.
"They shattered Brendan Rodgers' hopes of bringing the title back to
Anfield and the effects of that 3-3 draw were still being felt all the
way through to last November, when Liverpool folded at Selhurst Park and
were beaten 3-1.
"Only after that defeat were Liverpool able
to start recovering and while they head into Saturday night's FA Cup
fifth-round tie with an opportunity to really build some momentum, the
squad will be conscious of the threat Alan Pardew’s men pose.
"It is the tie of the weekend, as Palace will be aiming to inflict
further misery on Liverpool and dreaming of the chance to repeat their
achievements of 1990 and get back to Wembley.
"They can be difficult opposition when the home crowd get behind them. This match, however, is huge for Liverpool.
"With their hopes of getting into the top four still delicately
balanced and a tough Europa League fixture against Besiktas looming,
they cannot afford to let the FA Cup slip away.
"They cannot suffer at the hands of their bogeymen again."
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