The greatest of mismatches January 25 2008
The FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Havant & Waterlooville is one of the great mismatches of all time.
The two clubs are literally worlds apart. The Reds are five-time European champions while the Hawks only silverware came in 1998/1999 when they won the Southern League Southern Division.
And here we outline the gulf between the sides.
FORM
Liverpool have taken over from Newcastle as the Premier League's 'crisis club', with turmoil off the field being reflected in a run of poor results on it. The Reds have drawn five of their last six matches, and by doing so have dropped way off the title pace. The 5-0 third-round replay thrashing of Luton was the Merseysiders' only win since Boxing Day.
Despite their FA Cup heroics, Havant have endured an inconsistent season in the Blue Square South - two tiers below League Two - and sit 12th. Before their third-round replay win over Swansea, they had won two, lost two and drawn one of their previous five matches. In those two defeats, to Bishop's Stortford and Lewes, the Hawks conceded eight goals.
MANAGERS
Reds boss Rafael Benitez has an awesome track record which includes an array of silverware - the FA Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and Spain's Primera Liga title. He has come in for criticism after the club's title hopes faded early yet again, but he retains the backing of the vast majority of supporters - as demonstrated in the ongoing spat with the club's American owners.
Opposing manager Shaun Gale was a journeyman defender whose career took in the likes of Barnet and Exeter before he landed with the Hampshire club. Failure to recover fully from a broken arm forced his retirement in 2004, and he became assistant manager. When former boss Ian Baird left in October, Gale stepped up.
PEDIGREE
Liverpool are the most successful club in English football. Their haul of 18 league titles and five European Cups outstrips all their domestic rivals - although it is fast approaching 20 years since they were last crowned champions. The Merseysiders have won the FA Cup seven times, most recently in 2006.
Their rivals have only existed since 1998 after the merger of Havant Town and Waterlooville, although the former was established in 1883. They won promotion to the Southern League Premier at the first attempt and then secured a place in the new Blue Square South in 2003-04 when the non-league pyramid was restructured. In their merged form, the club has reached the FA Cup proper on four occasions.
WEALTH
The wrangle over ownership of Liverpool has highlighted the mind-boggling amounts of cash now fluttering around the world's biggest football clubs. It was suggested this week that potential buyers Dubai International Capital would need around £800million to snatch ownership from Tom Hicks and George Gillett (£500m), pay for the new stadium in Stanley Park (£250m) and invest a competitive amount in players (£50m).
The £350,000 Havant expect to earn from the visit to Anfield will be a massive boost to the club, where you can sponsor a player for the season for just £40.
STADIUM
Anfield, Liverpool's world famous home, holds 45,400, but plans are afoot to move to a brand new stadium in nearby Stanley Park. The exact details are under review amid fears over spiralling costs, but it is expected to have a capacity of around 60,000 and cost £250m-£300m to build.
Havant, in their previous incarnation, moved to Westleigh Park in 1982. In 2001-02, a £500,000 programme of improvements was completed to bring the ground up to Conference standard. The 4,400 who turned up to watch the victory over Swansea represented the club's biggest home gate - their average this term is 606. General manager Adrian Aymes also maintains the floodlights.
ODDS
ITV Bets have Havant as massive outsiders for the tie. They are 80/1 to upset Liverpool, while the odds for a draw are at 10/1.