Chelsea vs. Liverpool - Match Preview

Chelsea welcome their modern day rivals, Liverpool, to Stamford Bridge for what promises to be a fiery affair.

Carragher and Drogba both in contention for their respective teams.

It has been a week fuelled by media attention for both team’s key strikers, as Fernando Torres faces his former club for only the second time since leaving for £50million and Luis Suarez has been charged for an alleged racist comment made to Patrice Evra.

Torres, who spoke out again about his ‘deeper’ reasons for leaving his former club, just days before his encounter with them, admitted that life on Merseyside was far more comfortable than in London. His former teammates and fans will be hoping to make life a lot less comfy for him come Sunday afternoon, when the rivalry between these two teams will create a tense atmosphere at the Bridge. Since leaving Liverpool, Torres has played his old team once, losing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in February, and has only managed three league goals in his time wearing a blue shirt.

The boo-boys from the North West will be out in force, not just to target their former number nine, but no doubt Raul Meireles will be in for some jeers as he faces his former employers for the first time since his unexpected move in the summer.

John Terry will be hoping that the attention given to both Torres and Meireles will take some of the limelight away from him, given his recent racial slurs to QPR’s Anton Ferdinand. Another man accused of racism and charged by the FA this week, is Liverpool’s new Kop hero, Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan, who is in scintillating form of late, scored four in one match for his country in his last run out. Suarez will be focusing on finding the net and making sure his name appears on the back pages of the papers for the right reasons next week, rather than the wrong.

Numerous defences have tried to deal with the problems caused by Suarez and many have failed to keep him quiet. Are the allegations against the feisty number seven true, or having seen him light up the league this season, is it a scheming ploy by Ferguson and Evra to damage his moral? Surely if Suarez’s charges from the FA stand, then Terry will find himself in the same position, as there seems to be rather more public evidence against the Chelsea defender.

Controversy aside, this fixture has scarcely disappointed. Chelsea fans will still be bitter about Luis Garcia’s goal that knocked them out of the Champions League, whether it crossed the line or not, Liverpool then went on to be crowned Champions of Europe for the fifth time, a feat that Chelsea are yet to experience in their history.

As it stands, only three points separate the two teams in the table and a win for Liverpool would bring them level with the Londoners. Chelsea, with the exception of Michael Essien, expect to have a fully fit squad ahead of the match, with Didier Drogba set to make a comeback and Daniel Sturridge is likely to shake of a knock suffered in training.

The good news for Chelsea is Steven Gerrard will be absent yet again for Liverpool, as the Red’s skipper is still working his way back to full fitness after an ankle infection. A consolation for Liverpool, however, as their vice-captain Jamie Carragher, is expected to be in contention for a starting place against the Blues.

The lethal Luis Suarez is also likely to retain his starting position in the Liverpool 11, after being rested in Uruguay’s last game with a minor back injury.

Andre Villas-Boas will be hoping his side can avoid losing more ground on the league leaders, Manchester City, who are Liverpool’s next opponents after the Blues of London. Liverpool boss, Kenny Dalglish, will be hoping his side can capitalise on the amount of chances they create and to convert their chances. With Roberto Mancini’s men up next weekend, Liverpool ideally need to get a victory at the Bridge to stay in contention of a top four finish.

Predicted Lineups:

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Ramires, Mikel, Mata, Sturridge, Torres.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Adam, Downing, Henderson, Kuyt, Suarez.

Vacancy: Greatest job in the world

The Euro’s are drawing closer which can only mean two things; we are all going to build our hopes up only for them to be crushed, again, and Fabio Capello’s time as England manager is almost up. The latter has been on the lips of fans up and down the country and rumours have been thrown into the mill since the disappointment of the 2010 World Cup, as to who will be next in the hot seat?

Postman Capello of Greendale.

The appointment of Stuart Pearce as the manager of Team GB, or ‘Psycho’, as he is known to his beloved followers, surely points him in the right direction to being Fabio Capello’s successor, after the Italian’s contract runs out.

Capello’s reign could stretch right the way up to July 1st, that’s assuming the unlikely, that he can mastermind his way to the European Championship finals in Poland. No small task then for the man who, after stepping down from his position at the best job in the world, can always get a job delivering post in a little red van in Greendale.


The Football Association made a statement in 2010, after another dismal showing in a World Cup, that after Capello, England’s next manger should indeed be English, however they have also refused to rule out the possibility of a another foreigner coming in, saying they want the right man for the job.

Adrian Bevington of the FA bluntly said; “I think in the future, the England team should be managed by an English manager.”


It goes without saying really. Without drawing comparisons to the two, take for example, the triumphant success that Spain are currently enjoying. Put aside the fact that their players may be from a different footballing planet to ours, let alone of a different calibre, but they have flourished under the management of one of their own, Vincent Del Bosque. There is automatically a unique bond and understanding between manager and players and there the language barrier is not an issue.


England have a handful of exceptionally talented, world renowned footballers, but have shown over the years they haven’t got the depth in the squad to win a major tournament. The team is star-studded with the Premier League’s finest, however, put them all together and the outcome is rather too frequently a shambles. The veterans of the national team now include the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry to name a few, and the young players coming through look to be a promising and exciting generation with names such as Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll, Phil Jones, and the Dannys, Welbeck and Sturridge, all breaking into the team. Perhaps someone needs to take the initiative and adopt the philosophy of ‘out with the old and in with the new?’


It would be a brave man to take on such a daunting job. The title of England manager has long come under scrutiny from the unforgiving press and it is possibly the pressure built up by the media that has caused England to fall so hard in recent years. The man for the job will have to devise a way to shield his vulnerable players from the expectations and hype created by the relentless English media.


With Pearce having been appointed Team GB manager for the London Olympics, could it covertly be part of his induction process for the lucrative England job? The former England defender and Manchester City boss has previously distanced himself, saying how he doesn’t have the necessary qualifications to be selected for the role. Pearce, who has been in charge of the England Under 21’s since 2007, has nurtured some of the first team’s greatest talent through the ranks and he certainly has the grit and determination, not to mention the raw passion and the fans approval required to become a successful and popular appointment.


Amongst the most probable candidates for the job is Harry Redknapp. Currently manager of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, Redknapp is again one of the fans favourites for the job and has an impressive CV in English club football. The wiley Spurs boss has been the reason for his current team’s success, launching them into the Champions League last season and the Europa League this season, making Tottenham a genuine top four contender, so the North London outfit will want to keep hold of him. Redknapp has since told the media he thinks QPR manager Neil Warnock is an ideal candidate, whereas other names such as Newcastle boss Alan Pardew and Roy Hodgson have also been muttered. A foreigner in the mix is the man who said he was once ‘hours’ from being England manager when the ‘Wally with the brolly’ and the guy with the dodgy Dutch accent, Steve McClaren, was sacked in 2007. That’s right, Jose Mourinho still finds himself being linked to a sensational return to England, where he made a remarkable impact with Chelsea.


Capello has the chance to leave on a high after Euro 2012 and be the only foreign England manager (out of him and Sven) to be firmly cemented in our fragile English football supporting hearts forever. If England fail to impress yet again, the man to fill his boots will be have to implement severe change and lift morale, but possibly, as a boost for the nation, he might be an Englishman.

Match Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Liverpool

Liverpool will travel to West Bromwich on Saturday to face their former manager’s team, whilst Luis Suarez faces a late fitness test for the game.

Luis Suarez, the man of the moment, faces a late fitness test for Saturday.

The build up to this game has centred largely around one man who has been capturing the headlines in one way or another. Luis Suarez, Liverpool’s star signing from Ajax, has taken the Premier League by storm since joining in January. As he continues to impress with his footballing ability, controversy looms over the Uruguayan’s shoulders.

Two weeks ago, when Liverpool played out a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United, Patrice Evra made claims after the game, that Suarez has racially abused him. Liverpool boss, Kenny Dalglish, has this week called for a swift end to the allegations, as he does not want his number seven distracted from the game. It is not the first time Evra has accused somebody of racism, after he pointed the finger at a Chelsea groundsman in 2008 after United lost to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It was eventually settled when nothing could have been, or was proven. It seems whenever a fixture with great significance doesn’t go his way, it is all to easy for Evra to bring out the race card.

Luis Suarez’s abilities have been earning him the back pages since his first game for Liverpool. The tricky striker earned heaps of praise from his teammates and the media, when he scored twice to bring his team back from a goal down at the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday in the League Cup.

Defenders in the Premier League are finding Suarez a handful to play against and become easily wound up by his mind games, which works to his advantage. ‘El Pistolero’, as he is also referred to, has also recently received stick from Alex Ferguson for diving. He is a modern day striker and will dive if the opportunity is there to win a free-kick or a penalty, just as the majority of Premier League footballers do. He is no different to any of Alex Ferguson’s players who like to throw themselves around in spectacular fashion.

As Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson both return to the squad for Saturday’s 3 O’clock kick off, West Brom will be hoping that the knock Suarez picked up in Liverpool’s win against Stoke, will keep him out of this fixture. The home side are themselves without their new star man, with striker Shane Long out for six weeks with a knee injury sustained against Aston Villa, in their 2-1 away win last Saturday.

The Baggies are currently in 12^th position and the last time the two teams met in April, Roy Hodgson got one over on the team that sacked him after just four months on the job. Both teams are unbeaten in four Premier League matches and if it hadn’t of been for the woodwork in recent games, Liverpool would be a lot higher in the league. Dalglish will be expecting a lot more clinical finishing from his team, as they try and prevent themselves from slipping too far away from the top four.

Predicted Line-ups:

WBA: 1 Foster, 3 Olsson, 23 McAuley, 28 Jones, 11 Brunt, 12 Reid, 14 Thomas, 21 Mulumbu, 33 Scharner, 5 Tchoyi, 24 Odemwingie

Subs: 13 Fulop, 20 Shorey, 25 Dawson, 7 Morrison, 22 Gera, 31 Cox, 17 Dorrans

Liverpool: 25 Reina, 2 Johnson, 23 Carragher, 37 Skrtel, 3 Enrique, 26 Adam, 21 Lucas, 19 Downing, 18 Kuyt, 8 Gerrard, 9 Carroll

Subs: 32 Doni, 34 Kelly, 5 Agger, 14 Henderson, 11 Maxi, 39 Bellamy, 7 Suarez

This article is also published on www.whatculture.com

League Cup Fourth Round Preview: Stoke City vs. Liverpool

Liverpool have the chance to get their own back on Stoke City tonight in the League Cup Fourth Round, for September’s 1-0 defeat in the league.

Crouchy Sandwich

The two Premier League clubs will meet for the second time at the Britannia Stadium in less than two months, where the home side scraped a narrow victory, courtesy of a Jonathan Walters penalty. Many would too easily label this game as an away win, however, the stats would say otherwise. The Potters have lost only one of seven of their last League Cup home games and have found themselves featuring in the fourth round for the fourth season running. Their more high profile opponents have a very different story to tell, as the team from Merseyside are aiming to reach the last eight for the first time in four seasons and have kept only two clean sheets in their last 12 games.

Stoke have made the Britannia somewhat of a fortress in recent times and it has proved difficult for even the biggest of teams to leave with any points. Tonight, they welcome the team who have won the League Cup the most times, with a record of seven victories in the final of this competition. The Red’s last triumph was in 2003 and Kenny Dalglish has already expressed his desire to win silverware for the club. Liverpool striker, Dirk Kuyt, could overtake Roger Hunt’s club record of spending the longest time at Anfield without winning anything, so progressing in this competition is a high priority.

Liverpool will face a familiar face in Peter Crouch, just one of Stoke’s summer signings that was brought in to help deal with the club’s busy fixture list this season. The home side will be playing their third game in six days tonight, so the mental advantage could be with the visitors, who will be looking for their first win since winning 2-0 away at Everton in the league. Since then, two 1-1 draws have been played out with Manchester United and Norwich respectively.

Stoke’s Jermaine Pennant, who has a hamstring injury, is a doubt to face his old club, but Danny Higginbotham and Jonathan Woodgate may both return to the squad. Liverpool have their busy midfielder Lucas Leiva back after suspension and Daniel Agger, who featured in Saturday’s draw at home to Norwich, may start.

Predicted Line-ups:

Stoke City: 29 Sorensen, 4 Huth, 17 Shawcross, 20 Upson, 30 Shotton, 12 Wilson, 24 Delap, 18 Whitehead, 26 Etherington, 19 Walters, 25 Crouch

Subs: 27 Nash, 28 Wilkinson, 6 Whelan, 15 Diao, 40 Palacios, 33 Jerome, 9 Jones

Liverpool: 25 Reina, 2 Johnson, 3 Enrique, 23 Carragher, 37 Skrtel, 8 Gerrard, 19 Downing, 26 Adam, 14 Henderson, 7 Suarez, 9 Carroll

Subs: 32 Doni, 5 Agger, 38 Flanagan, 11 Maxi, 21 Lucas, 18 Kuyt, 39 Bellamy

Match Preview: Liverpool vs. Norwich City

Dalglish is fully behind his star striker

Liverpool play hosts to newly promoted Norwich City on Saturday afternoon, as both teams look to continue on good runs of form.

Kenny Dalglish’s men were unlucky not to have taken all three points from Manchester United last Sunday in the 1-1 draw at Anfield. Having picked up three wins on the bounce in all competitions, there were plenty of positives to take away from a draw against the current champions. The Reds continue to look more threatening and are starting to pose a realistic threat to challenge for a top four position as their new-look team begin to gel together.

The home side’s opponents on Saturday will be no pushover. Norwich, who finished second in the Championship last season, are currently only three points behind Liverpool in the Premier League and Paul Lambert will be hoping his team can cause an upset at Anfield. The Canaries have played well in recent games, beating the also newly promoted Swansea City 3-1 in their last game at Carrow Road and picked up successive wins against Bolton and Sunderland.

Liverpool have their captain Steven Gerrard back and firing on all cylinders, when last weekend he picked up the man of the match award and sealed and impressive performance with a goal against United. The Red’s tricky attacker, Luis Suarez, continues to impress and cause problems for defences in the Premier League. Kenny Dalglish showed support for his star striker in mid-week, amid claims the Uruguayan made racist comments to Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and was ‘diving all over the place’ in the game. Suarez, however, is used to criticism, after being sent off for handling the ball on the line in a crucial World Cup game for Uruguay against Ghana and celebrating when Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty. Suarez is a player who answers critics by showing his magic on the pitch and the positives far outweigh the negatives with this talented player, who insists there is more to come.

Liverpool only have two injuries for the forthcoming tie on Saturday, with backup goalkeeper Alexander Doni expected to be out with a finger injury and youngster Jack Robinson will also be unavailable with a sprain. Lucas picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last Sunday against United, so will miss Saturday’s tie. Dalglish insists despite Lucas’s fantastic services to the team, they have enough depth to manage without him. Jordan Henderson might benefit from the Brazilian’s absence and will be hoping for a return to the starting eleven. Andy Carroll may also be in with a chance of making the starting eleven after not featuring against United.

Paul Lambert’s Norwich City have no new injury worries, but remain without defenders Daniel Ayala, Elliot Ward and Zak Whitbread. The likes of Bradley Johnson, Steve Morison and Russell Martin have been in superb form so far this season and will be doing everything they can at Anfield to help their team claim something from the fixture. It certainly won’t be a walkover for Liverpool, who are currently fifth in the league, just one place off their targeted finishing position.

Predicted starting line-ups:

Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Skrtel, Enrique, Kuyt, Henderson, Adam, Downing, Gerrard, Suarez.
Subs: Jones, Coates, Agger, Johnson, Spearing, Bellamy, Carroll

Norwich: Ruddy, Naughton, Martin, Barnett, Tierney, Bennett, Hoolahan, Fox, Pilkington, Morison, Johnson.
Subs: Rudd, De Laet, Crofts, Surman, Holt, Jackson, Wilbraham

Match Report: Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United

Honours even in the North West Derby as United strike late on to rescue a point at Anfield.

Henderson had two late chances to win the game.

Manchester United’s unbeaten start remains intact thanks to a headed equaliser from Javier Hernandez, who came off the bench to salvage a point against Liverpool.

United were trailing thanks to Steven Gerrard’s 68^th minute free-kick, that squeezed through a gap in the wall left by the experienced Ryan Giggs. It was the perfect way to mark a come back for the Liverpool skipper, after coming back from a groin injury, it was his first start since playing United at Anfield in March.

Liverpool may be left feeling disappointed after creating more chances to win the game than the visiting champions and one player in particular, Jordan Henderson, will have felt he could have won the game for the Reds on two occasions, but for expert goalkeeping by David De Gea.

Hernandez was left out of the starting line-up, along with Wayne Rooney who according to his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was “devastated” at the news of his three match ban, which rules him out of the Euro 2013 group games.

In a highly anticipated game, the atmosphere could not have been more tense as the game got underway and it was probably the fact that the fixture is built up so much that we were all so underwhelmed by the slow starting first half. The current champions were second best for the majority of the game and laboured to adapt to their defensive formation, somewhat of a surprise selection from Ferguson, but it was evident come the end of the game which team was happier with a point. Phil Jones occupied a midfield role, seemingly trying to keep Charlie Adam quiet and Chris Smalling and Rio Ferdinand both returned to the starting line-up. It was Jones who got on the end of the game’s first real chance as he headed wide from the back post. The 19 year old will have felt he could have done better with United’s only real opening of the half.

When the home team begun to create chances, it was their captain who was at the centre of it. A whipped in cross from Gerrard only needed a touch to take it into the back of the net, causing panic in the United box, but it was a shot from Charlie Adam that bounced into Luis Suarez’s path in the 33^rd minute that found the best chance of the half. Suarez typically teased the last defender, in this case Jonny Evans, with a twist and turn but fired straight at De Gea who kept the score at 0-0 at the break.

Liverpool came out for the second half with a spring in their step and after bookings for both Ferdinand and Patrice Evra it was evident United were growing frustrated. It was time for Ferguson to introduce his fire power from an extremely talented bench, with two attacking players coming on in Luis Nani and Rooney, or the “scouser with a wig” as the home fans chanted.

However, it was whilst the United substitutes were jogging on the spot on the touchline waiting to come on, that their team fell a goal behind to a well placed free kick. Anfield erupted, as the long awaited return to a starting place for Steven Gerrard, was marked in terrific fashion by bursting the United net. Charlie Adam deserves credit for winning the free-kick after a surging run towards the penalty area where he was tripped by Ferdinand’s outstretched leg. Having already been on a yellow card, Ferdinand can count himself lucky that he wasn’t sent for an early bath.

Gerrard himself admitted in a post match interview that there was a degree of luck involved in squeezing the ball through the wall from 20 yards, however it will be the experienced figure of Ryan Giggs that will be losing a few hours sleep, as he broke away from the wall, to the dismay of Danny Welbeck.

As Liverpool edged closer to all three points and ending the champion’s unbeaten run, Ferguson made yet another attacking change, bringing on Javier Hernandez as added threat up front. It didn’t take long for the Mexican goal poacher to poach a goal for his team and level the game. A fizzed in corner was flicked on from Welbeck and after shaking off Martin Skrtel in the box, ‘the little pea’ crashed the loose ball past an outstretched Pepe Reina.

For a couple of minutes you could sense the nerves amongst the home crowd, however, after a pinpoint cross from Stewart Downing, met by the right boot of Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool were almost back in front, albeit for the gloves of David De Gea.

It was Liverpool who finished the game trying to take the points and you could tell they weren’t prepared to share. The Red’s only substitute of the game, Jordan Henderson on for Lucas, made a couple of late efforts that could have won the game. The first, was a long range lob that if it was a couple of inches higher, would have made him an instant Kop hero. Again, De Gea was equal to it and did enough in this game to keep his critics at bay for at least a week. Henderson’s second chance to win the game was a header that glanced over the bar and he’ll feel he should have hit the target after finding himself unmarked in the box.

The final chance of the game perhaps fell to the last man on the pitch that you would want in a match winning position. After last-ditch goalmouth action, the ball fell kindly to Martin Skrtel of all people and he proved why he’s a defender, after lashing the ball high into the Kop. An electric finish to a game that only seemed to get going in the second half and United undoubtedly go away the happier. 

Match Preview: Liverpool vs. Manchester United

The two most successful clubs in English football will go head to head at Anfield on Saturday, in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season.

The North West Derby is always a fiery affair.

The inter-city rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester dates back to the industrial times. Liverpool was famous for its thriving port, whilst Manchester was a renowned manufacturing city. The completion of the Manchester Ship Canal meant that ships could now bypass Liverpool and go straight into Manchester, causing job losses for the merchants in Liverpool and sparking a long lasting resentment.

Both cities have grown since a decline in the industries in the 70’s and found new successes; Manchester is now recognized as a world-class city and Liverpool was awarded the European Capital of Culture in 2008. Nowadays, it is the football that keeps the fierce rivalry alive, in what is referred to as the North West Derby, or ‘the most famous fixture in English football’, according to Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs.

The rivalry between the two clubs has intensified recently as United overtook Liverpool’s record of 18 league titles when they won the Premier League last season, making it 19 for the Red Devils. However, Liverpool still owns the bragging rights for the most successful English team in Europe, with five European Cups to United’s three. I’m sure there will be a few number 19’s in the away section at Anfield on Saturday, but having lost their last three visits to the fortress, United will be cautious in their approach.

Kenny Dalglish has seen his team bounce back from two successive defeats in a row to three wins on the trot in all competitions, however, the Red’s form is no match for the league leaders. Alex Ferguson’s men remain unbeaten and their only slip up in the league has been an away draw to Stoke. It was United’s away form that let them down in the league last season and a trip on the M62 to Liverpool could be their first real away test this season.

The home side have little injury concerns as they prepare for Saturday’s fixture. Daniel Agger, Martin Kelly and Glen Johnson all face a late battle to be fit, however, Steven Gerrard looks set to start in what will be his first game back since playing in Liverpool’s 3-1 over United in March last season. Gerrard provides his team with another dimension of football and an added belief. The skipper has enjoyed numerous successes against United over the years and will be chomping at the bit for a start and to make a solid impact once again. Luis Suarez is almost certain to start following his recent form, however the Uruguayan flew back from South America midweek, so Dalglish will have to assess his striker’s mental fitness for the encounter.

The visitors still have a few injury problems in defence, however Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans should be available for Saturday. Another bonus for Ferguson is that his steely Serbian defender, Nemanja Vidic, could also be in contention for a start, having performed in international duty on Tuesday. Vidic, however, has been sent off in two of his last three visits to Anfield. Chris Smalling is unlikely to make his return to first team action, whilst David De Gea is likely to take the place of Anders Lindegaard in goal. Following his red card due to his display of petulance when playing for England, United’s token scouser Wayne Rooney, will be looking to get one over on his rivals and also get his name in the papers for the right reasons this week.

Liverpool have shown a greater level of desire in this fixture in recent years and Dalglish will have his men fired up and raring to go from the off and no doubt will be told to test the ability of De Gea in between the United sticks. With their new attacking prowess in Suarez, Carroll, Bellamy and Downing, it’ll certainly give the visitor’s defence something to think about. Both teams have brought in new faces over the transfer window and they have both undoubtedly become stronger as a result. The bragging rights are up for grabs once again, in what will be a fiercely contested game.

Predicted Lineups:

Liverpool: 25 Reina, 34 Kelly, 23 Carragher, 37 Skrtel, 3 Enrique, 21 Lucas, 26 Adam, 19 Downing, 18 Kuyt, 8 Gerrard, 7 Suarez

Subs: 32 Doni, 16 Coates, 38 Flanagan, 14 Henderson, 20 Spearing, 9 Carroll, 39 Bellamy

Manchester United: 1 De Gea, 4 Jones, 5 Ferdinand, 15 Vidic, 3 Evra, 13 Park Ji-Sung, 17 Nani, 24 Fletcher, 25 Valencia, 10 Rooney, 14 Hernandez

Subs: 34 Lindegaard, 6 Evans, 11 Giggs, 16 Carrick, 7 Owen, 8 Anderson, 19 Welbeck

Liverpool vs. Manchester United, Saturday 15^th October 2011, Live on Sky Sports 2 and HD2 from 12:00pm.


This article was also published on www.whatculture.com

Match Preview: Everton vs. Liverpool

Liverpool will travel across Stanley Park to face their local rivals Everton on Saturday, in what is English football’s most played fixture.

The Merseyside Derby is always a tough tackling game

The game at Goodison Park on Saturday will be the 216^th in all competitions between the two neighbouring teams and promises to be a fast paced, heavy tackling affair. Everton, who have the home crowd advantage, will be looking for a third successive Merseyside Derby without defeat, as they picked up a 2-0 win in this same fixture last season and also managed a 2-2 draw at Anfield. The Toffees have only lost one home game in the Premier League since November and the Reds haven’t won an away game outside of London since March.

Although being strong in front of their own fans, David Moyes’ men lost their first game of the season at home to Premier League new boys QPR. Having built up an unbeaten run of five games in all competitions, the Blues succumbed to a 2-0 defeat last weekend at the hands of Manchester City. Liverpool, on the other hand, have bounced back from two straight defeats, to two straight victories and will be aiming to keep their rivals from leap-frogging them in the table on Saturday’s encounter, by producing a memorable away win.

Kenny Dalglish has a few tough team selection decisions to make as he faces his first trip to Goodison Park as Liverpool manager for 20 years. With Luis Suarez firing on all cylinders, the tricky Uruguayan will be guaranteed a starting place, however the likes of Craig Bellamy, Dirk Kuyt and Andy Carroll will all be hoping to partner El Pistolero up front. In the game against Brighton, Bellamy and Kuyt showed creative link up play with Suarez and the three of them can prove a real danger to any defence. Carroll played the full 90 minutes against Wolves last week and looked sharper than he has in recent games, perhaps spurred on by seeing his fellow teammates playing so well together.

With fit again Steven Gerrard likely to play a part in the derby, Dalglish faces another dilemma, whether or not to start his captain in an already very talented midfield. In a game with so much pride and bragging rights at stake, it is one that local hero Gerrard will want to be very much involved in from the start, but Dalglish has insisted they will not rush the skipper back into action. If Gerrard does start, new boy Jordan Henderson could find himself demoted to the bench in order to make way for the fan’s favourite. In recent games, Henderson has found himself starting ahead of the likes of Dirk Kuyt, who was so inspirational for Liverpool at the end of last season and who always guarantees the team 100%. Kuyt is facing his own battle to earn a starting place on the right side of midfield, with the former Sunderland player, who is still only 21.

Daniel Agger returned to training for the Reds this week following his injury, but it could be too soon for a return to action for the Dane. Glen Johnson has also returned to training following his hamstring injury and could be in contention for a place in the squad. Martin Kelly has played well in recent games, so Dalglish may well opt for the young local lad and take time easing Johnson back in.

The home team will be hoping their fiery Australian midfielder, Tim Cahill, will have recovered from a bruised shin that he picked up against Manchester City last weekend. David Moyes has only one major long-term absentee on his books, with Victor Anichebe out with a groin injury. Everton may keep the same back four that looked strong for a lengthily spell of the game against City last week, before conceding. Tony Hibbert, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka and Silvain Distin have looked settled at the back this season and with Phil Neville, Jack Rodwell and Marouane Fellaini also in the team, they will prove difficult for the Liverpool attack to break down. It is likely, if Cahill plays, that he will be playing out of position, up front on his own, so Moyes will again pack his team with defensive options to provide support, as he prepares for the attacking onslaught of Kenny Dalglish’s team. 

Predicted Line-ups:

Everton: 24 Howard, 2 Hibbert, 3 Baines, 6 Jagielka, 15 Distin, 18 Neville, 23 Coleman, 17 Cahill, 21 Osman, 25 Fellaini, 26 Rodwell

Subs: 1 Mucha, 5 Heitinga, 7 Bilyaletdinov, 10 Drenthe, 8 Saha, 11 Stacqualursi, 27 Vellios

Liverpool: 25 Reina, 34 Kelly, 23 Carragher, 37 Skrtel, 3 Enrique, 26 Adam, 21 Lucas, 19 Downing, 18 Kuyt, 8 Gerrard, 7 Suarez

Subs: 32 Doni, 16 Coates, 38 Flanagan, 20 Spearing, 14 Henderson, 39 Bellamy, 9 Carroll

You can watch the 216^th Merseyside Derby between Everton and Liverpool on Saturday 1^st October, live on Sky Sports 2 and HD2 from midday.


This article will also be published on www.whatculture.com/sport

Match Report: Liverpool 2-1 Wolves

Charlie Adam's shot leading to the opening goal

Liverpool continued their revival from the heavy blow dealt out by Tottenham last Sunday, with a 2-1 win at home against Wolves.

A bizarre Roger Johnson own goal opened the scoring in the 11^th minute when Charlie Adam’s fierce drive was headed onto the post and in by the former Birmingham defender.

Boosted by their early lead, Liverpool took a hold on the game and in the 38^th minute a divine pass from Jose Enrique was met by Luis Suarez who twisted and turned in the box before firing past a helpless Wayne Hennessey.

Wolves made two changes at the break and one of them made an instant impact. In the 49^thminute, Steven Fletcher latched on to a Steven Hunt cross and thumped the ball high into the net, past an outstretched Pepe Reina.

Liverpool, who won 2-1 away against Brighton in the Carling Cup in midweek, were made to fight for all three points at Anfield today. The visitors started the stronger and Mick McCarthy’s side were first to get a shot away, however, Jamie O’Hara’s effort was not enough to test Reina in goal.

After the long awaited return of Steven Gerrard, coming off the bench against Brighton on Wednesday, the skipper started this game on the bench. After riding the storm from Wolves, Liverpool found room to attack and Charlie Adam stepped up with a long-range drive, initially heading wide of the post, but for the head of Roger Johnson.

The home side continued to be dominant and showed spells of attacking ingenuity, one of which paid off, when Jose Enrique’s lofted through ball was expertly met by the run of Luis Suarez and taken down with a deft touch. The tricky Uruguayan needed no invitation to serge into the box and after cutting inside, the number seven switched back onto his left foot and quickly shot past a helpless Hennessey. Wolves defence were turned inside out by Suarez and Liverpool looked good for their lead, up 2-0 at the break.

Having found themselves down by two goals in the first 45 minutes, Wolves were in need of a change. Mick McCarthy duly delivered and brought on Steven Fletcher and Matt Doherty to replace Richard Stearman and David Edwards.

It didn’t take long for the double substitution to take effect when Steven Hunt’s low cross was dispatched from close range by the fresh legs of Fletcher. Wolves now had a foothold on the game but their determination to draw level was bettered by Liverpool’s desire to put the game to bed. Kenny Dalglish’s men had a number of chances saved by the Wolves keeper Hennessey, who despite conceding two goals, had a solid game. Suarez and Downing both had efforts denied and Andy Carroll, who started the game, was unlucky when his header hit the upright.

Wolves looked to snatch a point from the game when Jamie O’Hara’s shot glanced over the bar and Christophe Berra also came close with a header.

Liverpool fans were given something extra to cheer about when the club captain, Steven Gerrard, was introduced to the game, replacing Luis Suarez, who showed his disappointment at being taken off by kicking out at a water bottle. Gerrard made his first Premier League appearance since he last played against Manchester United in the 3-1 home win in March and he was unlucky not to mark the occasion by scoring one of his trademark long-range efforts.

For Liverpool, it was a relief to see the game out and claim a much-needed three points after losing two consecutive Premier League games. The Reds need to keep winning games like these comfortably if they are to finish in the top four at the end of the season and challenge for the Champions League positions.

Liverpool: 25 Reina, 3 Enrique, 23 Carragher, 34 Kelly, 37 Skrtel, 14 Henderson (Kuyt 71), 19 Downing, 21 Lucas, 26 Adam, 7 Suarez (Gerrard 81), 9 Carroll

Subs: 32 Doni, Coates, 38 Flanagan, 8 Gerrard, 20 Spearing, 18 Kuyt, 39 Bellamy

Wolves: 1 Hennessey, 5 Stearman (Doherty 46), 11 Ward, 14 Johnson, 16 Berra, 4 Edwards (Fletcher 46), 8 Henry, 12 Hunt (Guedioura 81), 17 Jarvis, 24 O’Hara, 29 Doyle

Subs: 31 De Vries, 3 Elokobi, 30 Doherty, 19 Hammill, 20 Milijas, 34 Guedioura, 10 Fletcher

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Carling Cup Match Preview: Brighton vs. Liverpool

After falling to two straight defeats in a row, Liverpool’s next challenge will be to overcome high-flying Championship side Brighton, in the Carling Cup Third Round on Wednesday night.

The Reds started the new season brightly but have since faltered on their travels. The fixture at the newly completed Amex Stadium will be Liverpool’s third away game on the bounce, but after slipping up to Stoke and being thumped 4-0 by Tottenham on Sunday, Kenny Dalglish’s men will be aiming to travel back to Liverpool with a win under their belt this time. The Merseysider’s will be without Defender Daniel Agger who suffered a broken rib in the game at White Hart Lane, which provides new recruit Sebastian Coates a chance to prove his worth. Martin Skrtel and Charlie Adam will also be unavailable for the encounter as they both picked up red cards in their last game, however, the Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard may give Liverpool that extra bit of spark if he makes that long awaited return from injury. Gerrard has missed the last 17 games Liverpool have played, the longest he has gone without pulling on the famous red shirt. The skipper’s last appearance came in the 3-1 home win against Manchester United in March, so he will hungry for a starting place and to help his team back to winning ways.

Brighton, who sit comfortably in third position in the Championship, after being promoted from League One last season, lost their first game of the season away to Leicester at the weekend. The Seagulls beat both Gillingham and Sunderland 1-0 to get to this stage in the third round and will be hoping to cause further misery to their Premier League opponents. With the absence of Marcos Painter, who was sent off in the game against Leicester, former Tottenham defender and now assistant manager of Albion, Mauricio Taricco, is set to start at left back. Will Hoskins and the former Valencia favourite, Vicente, could also join the 38 year old in the squad. Gus Poyet is likely to field his strongest eleven for the tie and he’ll be hoping his side can indeed, cause an upset.

Having been knocked out of this competition eight times by teams in lower leagues, Liverpool will take a cautious approach ahead of the game at the brand new American Express Community Stadium, where Brighton remain unbeaten in five games. The home team will hope to recreate some of the magic they produced in the 1980’s, when they achieved wins against Liverpool in three consecutive seasons.

Match Preview: Tottenham vs. Liverpool

White Hart Lane has proved to be a difficult venue for Liverpool over the years, with the Reds losing their last four visits to N17 and last winning there in May 2008. As Spurs picked up their first three points of the season at Wolves last weekend, Liverpool sunk to a 1-0 defeat to Stoke, although arguably being the better side.

Luis Suarez will be a handful for the Spurs defence. Matt Dawson will miss the game through injury.

The two teams will be aiming for that illusive fourth spot and be hoping for Champions League football next season. They meet on Sunday, with the home advantage being Tottenham’s. Harry Redknapp rested key men in their Europa League fixture against PAOK on Thurday, including Luca Modric, Gareth Bale, Emmanuel Adebayor and Scott Parker, showing that this is an extremely important game. Kenny Dalglish’s team will be looking to bounce back with a win, as Spurs’ hidings from both Manchester teams were slightly redeemed last weekend and they’ll be looking for two consecutive wins.

Liverpool fans would have been spurred on this week by the thought of their skipper, Steven Gerrard, making a long awaited return from a groin injury, but the 31 year old won’t be playing. Having only been back in training for little more than a week, it’s been decided that Gerrard will return in the Carling Cup fixture away at Brighton next week. Red’s manager Kenny Dalglish doesn’t want to throw his captain straight back into the hustle and bustle of the Premier League, so will ease the number eight back in to match fitness on Wednesday’s cup fixture.  Elsewhere, Glen Johnson, who returned from injury as a substitute against Stoke, has suffered a further setback and will be out for another month after a recurrence of a hamstring injury. Martin Kelly has recovered quicker than expected from his hamstring injury and could be in contention for a place in the squad to face Spurs.

Matt Dawson, Rafael Van der Vaart, Aaron Lennon, Stephen Pienaar and William Gallas are all out injured for Spurs, even though there was speculation of Van der Vaart returning for the fixture. Parker and Adebayor will be making their full home debuts for Spurs and will be looking to make life hard for the visitors.

Craig Bellamy looked sharp when he came on against Stoke last weekend for the Reds and the Anfield faithful will be hoping he can impress on Sunday. Stewart Downing is still in search of his first goal for his new club, but has created numerous chances. Andy Carroll will be hoping for a place in the starting eleven after finding himself becoming all too familiar with the substitute bench of late, but he will be hard pushed to budge Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt out of the team.

Predicted Line-ups:

Spurs: 24 Friedel, 3 Bale, 4 Kaboul, 26 King, 28 Walker, 32 Assou-Ekotto, 8 Parker, 14 Modric, 21 Kranjcar, 10 Adebayor, 18 Defoe

Subs: 23, Cudicini, 19 Bassong, 29 Livermore, 31 Townsend, 9 Pavlyuchenko, 17 Giovani, 34 Falque

Liverpool: 25 Reina, 3 Enrique, 5 Agger, 23 Carragher, 37 Skrtel, 14 Henderson, 19 Downing, 21 Lucas, 26 Adam, 7 Suarez, 18 Kuyt

Subs: 32 Doni, 34 Kelly, 16 Coates, 11 Maxi, 20 Spearing, 9 Carroll, 39 Bellamy


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Match Preview: Fulham vs. Manchester City

Manchester City’s millions have taken the Premier League by storm and their latest additions to their all-star team have inspired them to four wins out of four. Fulham, however, have failed to win one of their opening four fixtures, picking up two draws and two defeats.

The Cottagers have it all to do if they are to tame what looks to be a real title threat from Roberto Mancini’s men. Both clubs were in European action mid-week, City played their first ever Champions League match on Wednesday night against Napoli, drawing 1-1 in the process. Fulham started their Europa League campaign on Thursday at home to FC Twente, also with a 1-1 draw.

Although overshadowed by what was going on elsewhere in the transfer market, the new Fulham boss, Martin Jol, brought in eight new signings in the summer. The most notable of them being the Costa Rican forward, Bryan Ruiz, who failed to impress and keep up with the pace of the Premier League, in last week’s 1-1 draw at home to Blackburn. Former Liverpool defender, John Arne Risse, was brought in at left back from Roma, along with Czech defender Zdenek Grygera, on a free transfer from Juventus. Striker Orlando Sa and midfielder Pajtim Kasami also moved to Craven Cottage, adding to the ranks.

Fulham spent around £15million bringing in new players in the summer, whereas their opponents on Sunday spent more than double that on one player. City tallied up an incredible £72million strengthening their squad with six new players. Mancini brought in the likes of Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy from Arsenal, Montenegrin defender Stefan Savic, Owen Hargreaves joined on a surprise free transfer from the red half of Manchester and their biggest signing, Sergio Aguero signed from Atletico Madrid for £35million.

Where Fulham were held to a draw in their last game, City’s new boy, Aguero, put three past Wigan to earn his team a comfortable 3-0 win, which could easily have been more. The Argentinean needed no time to settle in to the fast pace of the premier league, unlike Ruiz of Fulham, and has scored six goals in his first four league appearances. The link up play between Aguero and David Silva, who has been vital for City this season and last, is a joy to behold, fascinating for the neutral, but if you’re playing against them, it’s frightening. Add Samir Nasri, the ever improving Edin Dzeko and the now somewhat overshadowed figure of Carlos Tevez to the equation and you have yourself the perfect recipe for tantalising football.

City’s current form will be enough to think about for Fulham, however, to add further worry, the Citizens have lost only one in 10 of their last visits against a London side. Fulham’s home form is a record to be proud of, only losing one of their last 11 games at Craven Cottage. There has been a goal in every one of the last 14 games between these two teams and neither side has kept a clean sheet in them, so with that stat and the Blues lethal form, we might be in for a treat.

Predicted Line-ups:

Fulham: 1 Schwarzer, 3 JA Risse, 5 Hangeland, 14 Senderos, 18 Hughes, 4 Sidwell, 13 Murphy, 16 Duff, 23 Dempsey, 11 Ruiz, 25 Zamora

Subs: 38 Etherridge, 2 Kelly, 26 Grygera, 10 Kasami, 15 Gecov, 8 Johnson, 30 Dembele

Man City: 25 Hart, 4 Kompany, 2 Richards, 6 Lescott, 22 Clichy, 18 Barry, 19 Nasri, 21 Silva, 42 Y Toure, 10 Dzeko, 16 Aguero

Subs: 30 Pantilimon, 5 Zabaleta, 15 Savic, 7 Milner, 11 Johnson, 32 Tevez, 45 Balotelli

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Top 5: Extreme sports locations

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Match Report: Stoke City 1-0 Liverpool

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The new-look Red’s, who started the season promisingly and with newfound belief installed into them from Kenny Dalglish, fell to their first defeat at the hands of a tricky Stoke side. The Britannia Stadium continues be a bogey ground for Liverpool, however the decision to award the home team a first half penalty, was robustly challenged by the visitors.

Before resisting a barrage of Stoke efforts, a coming together between Jonathan Walters and Jamie Carragher resulted in Mark Clattenberg pointing to the spot and the Potters front man subsequently converted past Pepe Reina. Carragher and the rest of the Liverpool contingent felt hard done by, as the Britannia’s roof was raised by the ever-present 12th man.

Former Liverpool player, Peter Crouch, made his full Stoke debut against his old employers and started brightly, whilst Luis Suarez continued to impress, making life difficult for the Stoke back-line  The feisty Uruguayan made a good connection from a Charlie Adam corner, but saw his shot blocked by the steely figure of Ryan Shawcross.

Kenny Dalglish’s men came out after the break in search of a goal and the visiting faithful must have thought they had one when Suarez’s neatly placed pass put Jordan Henderson through, only to be denied by the brilliance of Asmir Begovic. The Stoke number one did well to stop Henderson’s first effort, the rebound and was agile enough to get back into his goal to tip Adam’s shot over the bar.

The introduction of Craig Bellamy, for his first start back in a red shirt and Andy Carroll was to follow, whilst Wilson Palacios was brought on for Stoke to make his full debut since joining on transfer deadline day.

Liverpool pushed Stoke harder and were edging closer to leveling the game and their second half dominance almost paid off, when Bellamy got onto the end of a Stewart Downing cross, only for a the header to flash wide of the post. A late shout for a penalty from Suarez was waved away by Clattenburg, whilst the Liverpool number seven should have secured at least a point from the game when he failed to convert a gift-wrapped goal.

Begovic, who had been impressive in keeping Liverpool out all game, slipped up in the dying seconds, allowing Suarez a free shot at an open goal. Nobody would have bet on him scuffing the ball wide.

If statistics were anything to go by, Liverpool would have had the game wrapped up by half time. However, as the Reds so painfully learnt last season, games are won by converting chances, regardless of whether refereeing decisions go against you. With a defeat out of the way and being brought back down to reality by Tony Pulis’s side, the new look Merseysiders will look to string a fresh line of wins together. It is these fixtures that Liverpool will be expected to win if they are serious about mounting a genuine challenge for the title and indeed a top four finish. Kenny Dalglish will be hoping his team can learn from the defeat and with White Hart Lane being another bogey ground for the Reds, they had better find some of the spark they started the term with, against Tottenham next week.