Istvan sees the beauty in Barnsley

Hungary centre forward Istvan Ferenczi chose to get his feet wet and at Anfield he will be rewarded with perhaps the biggest moment of his career.

Barnsley are not expected to beat Liverpool in the FA Cup, but part of Ferenczi's enthusiastic approach to life in England has seen him sit in the stands at Anfield on a few occasions this season and the 30-year-old sniffs possibilities.

'It's a huge game for them, isn't it?' said Ferenczi. 'In the last round they played a team (Havant) from many leagues down and twice they were behind in the first half. That shows what can happen in the Cup.

'I was there this season when they lost to Marseille in the Champions League because I have a friend in the reserve team there. Things can go wrong. If they lose this game then perhaps Rafael Benitez will lose his job. These things bring pressure so maybe they will be nervous. We hope so.'

A Thursday morning in south Yorkshire is about as far from the glamour of a big cup tie as you can imagine. Ten miles away in the Peak District, the sun is shining. In Barnsley, rain is in the air.

It is not a pretty place, although whether Macedonia strike Hristov's summation of the women folk is accurate seems doubtful. Whatever the case, Ferenczi is not fazed by his austere surroundings.

Having arrived at the club a year ago speaking no English, he is now impressively capable. He lives alone in a flat in the town but is regular at the cinema, the theatre and local restaurants. He even got himself a ticket for last week's Manchester derby.

'I go to English classes once week,' he said. 'It is important to learn the language. I live on my own but that is OK. I go out with friends and I enjoy my life here.

'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and when I go home to Hungary I want to say that I made the most of it.

'I want to remember all of this. Look at the game in Manchester: have never seen a crowd behave like that. It was just a different quality, as they say here.'

Today, Ferenczi is likely to be on the bench at Anfield as Barnsley manager Simon Davey sticks with his recent pairing of Jon Macken and Daniel Nardiello.

But at 6ft 3in, the Hungary international will present a decent alternative if the team from the Championship are in need of goals as the game progresses.

He has scored 10 in 41 matches since arriving in last year's January transfer window and his efforts towards the end of that campaign are credited with keeping Barnsley in the second tier.

'I always think I will score and of course I think I am worthy of a place in this team,' he said. 'But I have no problem with the manager. I like him and he is making the decisions.

'We have a stronger squad now. He gave the other boys a chance and we beat West Brom so I don't think he will change that.

'But that's OK. The fans have been great to me, very warm. Right from the start. You know, if I have a shot and it goes wide and flies off the field they never criticise. They just encourage me to try again. When you are a new foreign player, you need that support.'

Having played his football at 10 clubs, Ferenczi may move on again in the summer. There were loan inquiries in January but Davey turned them down.

'Of course I would like to carry on playing my football in England and hopefully at Barnsley,' he said. 'I don't really think there is anywhere better to play. At home they are all jealous of me and why not?'