Liverpool has been drawn to play away to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round.

That’s the furthest possible distance the Reds could have been handed when the teams were paired together on Sunday evening, with Plymouth’s Home Park a nearly 300-mile journey from Anfield.

That’s the challenge facing Arne Slot ’s side, although he’ll hope the fourth-round tie - which will be played between February 7-10 - is less daunting. The south-coast club has endured a tough start to the season and currently sits bottom of the Championship, England’s second tier.

READ MORE: Arsenal dealt huge injury blow in Liverpool title race as star leaves game on stretcher

READ MORE: FA Cup draw in full as Liverpool and Arne Slot learn fourth round opponents

• Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Accrington as Wataru Endo and 5 more stand out

• Jurgen Klopp spotted in action for first time since taking Red Bull role after Liverpool exit

The Pilgrims have won just four league matches all season and parted company with former manager Wayne Rooney on New Year’s Eve, robbing fans and neutrals of the opportunity to see the ex- Manchester United forward face his old foes once again.

Given Plymouth’s poor form, it was a shock when the club managed to beat Premier League side Brentford in the third round, with Morgan Whittaker’s late strike the only goal of the game.

It sets up a first meeting against Liverpool since 2017, when they last locked horns in the FA Cup. The teams drew 0-0 at Anfield, on an afternoon when Jurgen Klopp named the youngest-ever Liverpool side - although that record has since been broken - which featured current Reds Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez.

Having forced a replay at its ground Home Park, a rare Lucas Leiva goal proved to be the difference between the sides, with Liverpool progressing. Prior to that, the clubs hadn’t played each other since 1962, when Liverpool competed in the second tier. In its 122-year history, Plymouth has never played in the top division and has typically flitted between the second and fourth level in the English football pyramid.

Plymouth gained promotion back to the Championship in 2023 after finishing second in League One, and stayed up on the final day of last season, ending the campaign just one spot above the relegation places. The team have never gone beyond the semi-finals of the FA Cup and will be huge underdogs for the fourth-round tie this season.

Based in the south-east of England, Plymouth is typically one of the more arduous trips for English football fans, certainly for those in the north or Midlands. The city is also famous in the US as the launching spot for the Mayflower ship that transported the pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620, hence the club’s nickname.