After last years FA Cup fifth round reward of a trip to the glamour of Stoke, the big man upstairs (or whoever picked our ball out of the bag. Not that it is a bag. More of a turning device) gave Brighton and Hove Albion a reward for getting so far in the FA Cup – a trip to one of the Cathedrals of football, Anfield. Liverpool may not be the force they once were, nor is there a novelty value at seeing the big name stars in the side given they were virtually all on show at The Amex back in September in the Carling Cup, but a trip to Anfield has still grabbed the imagination of Seagulls supporters across Sussex with 6200 heading to Merseyside with the away end to be turned into a sea of blue, white and tin foil

Who are Liverpool?
Five times champions of Europe. Eighteen times league winners. Seven times FA Cup winners. Seven times League Cup winners. Three times Uefa Cup winners. Three times Uefa Super Cup winners. So it is fair to say they’ve got a bit more silverware than our handful of lower league titles and a Charity Shield from when people used to travel to away games via a horse and cart still. Which, incidentally, would probably be easier than attempting to organise decently priced train travel for Sunday’s game was. God help us if we make the Premier League and Sky are organising our fixtures list

Their history with Brighton?
We have a decent record against Liverpool despite the fact that their success and a general mediocrity has meant our swords haven’t crossed paths too much. The FA Cup has provided most of our shock results against the reds, with the Albion eliminated them in both 1983 and 1984 despite the league title residing in the Anfield trophy cabinet on both occasions. And the last time we met in the competition in 1991 it took a Goldstone replay for the Seagulls to be eliminated from the competition by their illustrious opponents

Last time we met?
After a difficult first half when they fell 1-0 behind to a Craig Bellamy goal, the Albion grew into the tie when the two sides met in September before Dirk Kuyt killed it off with a second nine minutes from time. Ashley Barnes added a late consolation from the spot in the 2-1 defeat. Our last visit to Anfield in 1991 saw a 2-2 draw when John Byrne and Mike Small secured what seemed like an unlikely replay after Liverpool had gone 2-0 up through an Ian Rush brace.

Who has played for both?
Both Craig Noone and Alan Navarro hail from the city but managed to escape without resorting to a life of theifing car stories with a dodgy perm. Noone has even gone so far as to say he won’t celebrate if he scores which hasn’t gone down well with some fans. Neither of them obviously pulled on the red shirt in a competitive first team game despite spending time in the youth system. Jimmy Case and Mark Lawrenson are probably the two most famous with both of their significantly moustachioed faces having appeared for both clubs.

Who to look out for?
Players that really need no introduction. Former and probably next England captain Steviiiiiieeeeeeeeeee G, Craig Bellamy, Dirk Kuyt and Pepe Reina are all worth keeping an eye on. Oh, and Gus Poyet’s mate, that Suarez bloke. Wonder if he’ll fancy shaking the hands of Kazenga LuaLua or Liam Bridcutt?

Prediction?
Liverpool have been pretty poor at home this season and we’ve done reasonably well at Anfield in the past. With Manchester United and City already out of the proceedings, it’s a realistic chance of silverware for King Kenny so we’d expect a full strength side and therefore a Liverpool win 2-1. Defeated but not disgraced and allowing Gus to focus on the league and the chance to go to places like Liverpool every other week

Don’t forget to get yourself in the mood for Sunday’s game by checking out our YouTube special on Brighton v Liverpool