CHELSEA V LFC PREVIEW

SKY Sports 30 April 2008
Chelsea have the opportunity to banish their UEFA Champions League semi-final hoodoo against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge tonight.

Revenge can be an over used verb in football but it cannot be questioned that, in this second leg meeting in the final four of Europe's premier cup competition, the R-word will be bouncing around the home dressing room in West London with a certain degree of frequency.

Having been sent packing by the Reds at the semi-final stage in 2005 and 2007, it would have to be a kind-hearted Blue who suggests that Liverpool are simply the final obstacle in the battle to secure an all-English meeting with Manchester United in Moscow on 21st May.

Chelsea players admit that the memory of their previous eliminations at the hands of their Merseyside visitors sits painfully in the back seat of the mind, but they now appear well placed to avenge those entrances in the history books following last week's 1-1 first leg draw at Anfield.

Liverpool, though, will be happy to be cast as the underdogs as they aim to rake up painful flashbacks for their hosts, while the five-time European champions will also be twitching at the prospect of setting up an all-red Russian meeting with North West rivals United in three weeks' time.

Boss Rafa Benitez appears to be compensating for the absence of former foe Jose Mourinho in provoking any possible war of words with Grant, but the Spaniard's motives and continental pedigree cannot be doubted as he bids to steer Liverpool to a third Champions League final appearance in four years.

Benitez has made no secret of his feelings towards the, perceived to be, animated antics of Didier Drogba and do not be surprised to see the Liverpool chief prowling his technical area following any foul awarded in favour of the Chelsea striker.

Drogba is expected to spearhead a three-pronged attack alongside wingers Joe Cole and Florent Malouda while, in midfield, Frank Lampard should play after missing Chelsea's Premier League victory over United last weekend through compassionate leave.

Ghanaian powerhouse Michael Essien is also expected to return to add some bite to the Chelsea bark following his suspension-enforced absence in the first leg, but Grant is set to play the midfielder in a right-back role.

After ringing the changes in the domestic outing at Birmingham last Saturday, Benitez will return to his star names as defender Jamie Carragher and captain Steven Gerrard start, while striker Fernando Torres will be charged with the vital task of ending Liverpool's eight-game goal drought at Stamford Bridge.

Defender Fabio Aurelio is out for the season after tearing an adductor muscle eight days ago and that is likely to mean Alvaro Arbeloa is shifted to the left of a back four as Steve Finnan comes in on the right.

John Arne Riise would appear to be the Reds' natural left-footed option, but the Norwegian's infamous injury-time own goal last week is likely to leave Benitez begging to differ.

CL Preview: Liverpool - Chelsea

Goal.com

The first of this week’s Champions League semi-finals is an all-English affair and sees Liverpool and Chelsea go head-to-head at this stage of the competition for the third time in four years. Can the Blues exact revenge for the previous two defeats?

Chelsea Looking For Revenge

Things are never calm at Chelsea football club and this has been made abundantly clear in the past week.


Monday night at Stamford Bridge – the Blues are 1-0 up and Emile Heskey pops up to net Wigan Athletic a late equaliser. Chelsea are done for, the title is United’s, Grant is a loser and it’s all his fault.


Fast forward to Thursday, where up on Merseyside Michael Essien snatches the all-important goal as Chelsea earn a vital win at Everton. By Saturday, United’s inability to claim all three points at Blackburn means the gap is once again three points. Avram Grant might have grumped his way through the post-match Press conference, but suddenly this is the guy who could lead Chelsea to an historic league and European Cup double.


This is the Blues’ fourth trip to the Champions League semi-finals in five years. They have yet to reach the final but it is perhaps fitting that they one again face Liverpool, twice the architects of Chelsea’s European demise at this stage.


With the showpiece event scheduled for Roman Abramovich’s homeland and the bitterness of 2005 and 2007 still evident in the Blues camp, there has never been a greater incentive to exact revenge. Avram Grant’s side made light work of Fenerbahçe at Stamford Bridge but stumbled to a defeat in the away leg. A similar result at Anfield is not an option against a Reds side who will likely not roll over like the Turks did in London.


Chelsea, meanwhile, know that they need to score on this trip to Anfield. They’ve failed to do so on any of their previous three Champions League games there, and recent profligacy in front of goal will be a concern. In cagey cup ties you must take what few chances you get.




After Athens Comes Moscow?

Liverpool go into the semi-final as outsiders with the bookmakers and behind Chelsea in the league. Will that worry the Reds? It was exactly the same in 2005 and 2007. Blues fans have often pointed to Liverpool’s fortune in Europe (lucky penalties, goals that never were) but when you’ve reached two finals in three years and dispatched the likes of Arsenal, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona and Juventus – as well as Chelsea twice – you must be doing something right.


Going into this first leg it’s fair to say that the psychological advantage lies with Liverpool, not only because of what has transpired in years past, but also because of results in Europe this season. The confidence gained from eliminating Inter and Arsenal, where three games were won and one was drawn, will be far greater than that the Blues can yield from overcoming the relative minnows of Olympiacos and Fenerbahçe.


After a close call earlier in the campaign, the European mentality at Anfield is alive and well. Belief, tradition and a useful run of form (eleven wins and just one defeat in the last 14 games) give Rafa Benítez’ side every confidence of ruining Abramovich’s dream for a third time.


This Liverpool side is stronger than those fielded on those previous occasions, but this remains the Reds’ toughest task yet thanks to the second leg taking place down in London. The atmosphere at Anfield will still be tremendous, but without knowing their Stamford Bridge fate the Reds will not so easily be able to sit on a 1-0 or 0-0 like in those previous encounters. The search for a healthy home win carries with it the danger of exposure at the back, but that is a risk Liverpool must take: Stamford Bridge has been a miserable away ground for 20 years.

BENITEZ: WE ARE GOING TO ARSENAL TO WIN

Rafa Benitez says Liverpool are going to Arsenal with nothing but thoughts of victory on their minds.

The Reds boss - though fully aware of the quality in the Gunners' ranks - believes his team have the ability to record an away win at the Emirates in tomorrow night's Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Having won eight of their last nine games, Liverpool go into the game high on confidence and Benitez is backing his players to deliver on the big European stage yet again.

He said: "We will be looking for a win. We know Arsenal are a very good team but we are playing well at the moment, creating chances and winning games, and we have confidence.

"When you play in games like this you want to win and to do that you have to score at least one goal so we will be looking to do that."

Liverpool have not won at Arsenal since February 2000 when a Titi Camara goal was the difference between the two sides.

But Benitez believes the fact that tomorrow night's clash comes in European competition makes it a very different game.

"It will be different because it is in Europe," he said. "That does not mean it will be easier or harder, just different.

"The away goals rule means teams have to approach games in a different way to the way they approach league games and that is something for us to bear in mind."

INTER MILAN 0-1 LIVERPOOL

The Times 12 March 2008

Records are records for a reason, so let nobody downplay the achievement of the Barclays Premier League in providing 50 per cent of the field in this season’s Champions League quarter-finals.

Nor of Liverpool in adding an away win against the runaway leaders of Serie A to a remarkable canon of European results under Rafael Benítez.

This was an historic performance on an historic night. The supporters sensed it, too. Parochial songs and declarations of devotion to all things Scouse and red were crowned with a defiant chorus rarely heard from the throats of this nation’s cosmopolitan elite. “England,” the Liverpool fans cried. “England.”

For the second time in a week, the San Siro echoed to applause for what English football had achieved and what is has become. A young Arsenal side passed AC Milan to death last week and now it was Inter’s turn to experience the mighty potential of our domestic game, its uncanny ability to combine the finest elements of technique and fighting spirit.

English passport-holders may be in the minority in the four Premier League teams that will enter Uefa’s draw on Friday, but that does not mean there is no English influence. We have learnt from them, and they from us. Liverpool’s winning goal may have been fashioned in Spain, but the determination that underpinned this victory came from players such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, who have pulled the club through on so many occasions and who showed how to come to places such as the San Siro and play without fear.

Liverpool may have led by two goals from the first leg, but this was no procession. Just as jumping off the roof of the garden shed does not look daunting until you get up there, so defending a 2-0 lead is a piece of cake on paper and horribly intimidating when a striker with the class of Julio Cruz is one goal away from turning the next hour into a recreation of Rorke’s Drift.

In the circumstances, Liverpool’s stroke of good fortune came not with Fernando Torres’s goal, which was well deserved and beautifully worked, but with the dismissal of Nicolás Burdisso, the Inter central defender, in the 50th minute. From that moment, the Italian side were scaling a mountain and it was no surprise that they tired of the task soon after.

Liverpool claim to have been undone by a referee here in 1965, when Inter Milan overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit with a 3-0 win in dubious circumstances, but, if so, football’s karmic forces got to work on a handsome payback. If Marco Materazzi’s sending-off at Anfield was deserved for the cynical nature of his early fouls, Burdisso appeared to be at best a victim of overenthusiasm and at worst of Tom Henning Ovrebo, the Norwegian referee, who gave out a ridiculous number of yellow cards — nine in all, including two to Burdisso — in a game that was entirely harmless.

Burdisso was booked for a foul on Dirk Kuyt and sent off for going for a 50-50 ball with Lucas Leiva in what was perceived as reckless fashion. From there, though, Inter appeared to presume that the fates would overwhelm them and so it proved. With Burdisso removed from the heart of the defence, Cristian Chivu stepped in and was promptly turned by Torres for the winner. Thankfully, it was a goal that deserved to settle any tie.

The arrival of Torres in the summer now looks to be Benítez’s masterstroke. The striker has kept Liverpool’s season alive, dragging them back into the battle for a Champions League place next season and striking in Europe to keep them on course for a remarkable third final in four years. His recent goal tally is eight in five games, almost all of them frame- worthy.

Last night’s was no exception. Fabio Aurélio provided a fine cross from the left, but it was what Torres did with it, the way he brought it under control, turned in a tight arc around Chivu and finished with a powerful low shot that left Júlio César with no chance, that defined the night. At that moment, Liverpool were certain to be the fourth Premier League team in the last eight, a first for any European nation. The red multitude behind the Inter goal could relax.

At least part of the night was spent on tenterhooks, however, and it is to Liverpool’s credit that a team needing to score at least two goals to stand a chance of progressing could not manage one. As at Anfield, Inter disappointed, particularly their star striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who sulked and postured like a spoilt child, having been completely upstaged by the brilliant Torres. But that does not mean there were not anxious moments.

Cruz, in particular, was a danger and the warning signal came within eight minutes when he cut inside on the left and, with scarcely any backlift, struck a low shot that José Manuel Reina was forced to tip round.

Cruz was a handful all game, operating in football’s equivalent of the corridor of uncertainty between Jamie Carragher at right back and Martin Skrtel by his side. In the 29th minute, a cunning angled pass from Ibrahimovic put Cruz beyond Liverpool’s back line, his shot beating Reina only to skip agonisingly the wrong side of the left-hand post. In the 42nd minute, Patrick Vieira found Maicon on the right and his cross was met by Cruz, producing a back-heel from an awkward position that Reina stopped on the line.

The red card and the goal, coming within 13 minutes, killed the tie and by the end Inter were tamed. Like the other English teams, Liverpool made their progress from the first knockout round look easy: but don’t be fooled.

LIVERPOOL V NEWCASTLE: MATCH PREVIEW

BBC 07 March 2008
Liverpool have hit form and the visit to Anfield for Newcastle is a daunting prospect for a side just three points above the drop zone.

Liverpool are chasing a fifth successive victory in league and cup to set them in the right frame of mind for Tuesday's Champions League visit to Inter Milan, where they lead 2-0 and will be vying to become England's fourth representatives in the quarter-finals.

Wednesday's awesome 4-0 home win over West Ham, when Fernando Torres scored his third hat-trick of the season, saw them leapfrog Merseyside rivals Everton, back into a top four Champions League qualifying spot. It was their third league win on the bounce. Now they're hunting a 300th victory in the Premier League, in Rafa Benitez' 225th match in charge.

It's a daunting prospect for a struggling Newcastle, who are just three points above the drop zone. They have lost their last three, and the last five on the road, and are still seeking a first victory since Kevin Keegan's return.

Liverpool have scored more Premier League goals against Newcastle than against any other club (55).

LIVERPOOL:

All statistics and sequences refer to the Premier League only, unless otherwise stated.

1. Won the last four in all competitions; lost one of seven.

2. Unbeaten in five; won four and drew one since the defeat at West Ham - their only loss in 12.

3. Lost three times; only Arsenal have been beaten less frequently (just once).

4. Drawn 11 - more than any other club.

5. Conceded 20 goals; only Manchester United (15) and Chelsea (17) have shipped fewer. Also, allowed the opposition to score first in six games; only Manchester United can better that (five times).

6. Shown 36 cards (all yellow); only Everton have a better disciplinary record with 32 cards (29 yellow, three red).

7. Registered five goalless draws. Only Portsmouth have also been involved in as many as that.

8. One goal short of conceding 600 all-time in this league.

9. Challenging for a fourth successive home victory, and not lost in six on home soil. Manchester United is the only club to have left Anfield with all three points this season. Indeed, the 0-1 defeat to the Red Devils on December 16 is their only reverse in 18 home matches over a calendar year.

10. The next league game after this is home to Reading, then it's away to Manchester United, home to Everton in what is now a crucial Merseyside derby, and away to Arsenal at the beginning of April.

NEWCASTLE UNITED:

All statistics and sequences refer to the Premier League only, unless otherwise stated.

1. Registered just one victory in 14 in all competitions; the win being 4-1, home to Stoke in the FA Cup third round replay on January 16.

2. Picked up three points from the 33 available since their last victory; 0-1 against Fulham at Craven Cottage on 15 December.

3. Scored just three goals in six games under Keegan, during which two points have been accrued.

4. Already conceded six more goals than last season (53); only Derby (57) and Reading (55) have leakier defences this season. Let in 10 goals in the last five minutes - two more than any other club.

5. Gone in at half-time all square in 15 games; only Wigan match that.

6. Bottom in the "Last Six Current Form" table with two points from the possible 18.

7. One draw shy of 150 in this league all time.

8. Averaging a point a game this term. The current tally of 28 points after 28 matches is seven points fewer than their previous lowest to this juncture of the campaign. Only 35 points were accrued by this corresponding stage in 1997-98, when they finished 13th (last season they also finished 13th).

9. Only beaten Bolton and Fulham on the road all season. Gained one win from 12 on their travels, and only picked up one point from a last possible 24 against North-west clubs; 0-0, home to Bolton on 19 January.

10. Due to visit Birmingham next, before two fixtures against London clubs, home to Fulham and away to Tottenham.

Fernando Torres is Liverpool's top scorer with 24 goals, and their leading marksman in the Premier League with 18. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) and Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) have scored more in the highest league; 21 and 19 respectively.

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina is the only remaining player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Liverpool's Premier League matches this season.

Reina leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove with 13 clean sheets.

Obafemi Martins is Newcastle's top scorer with seven goals.

Martins is also the club's top marksmen in the Premier League with six.

If selected:-

Michael Owen will be facing his former club. The 28-year-old England international striker made 297 appearances (216 in the league) and scored 158 goals (118 league) for Liverpool, from the beginning of his career until his move to Real Madrid in August 2004.

Owen will be making his 250th Premier League appearance (Liverpool and Newcastle).

Head to Head

Newcastle have not claimed maximum points at Anfield since their first Premier League visit on April 16 1994 when Rob Lee and Andy Cole were on target in a 2-0 triumph. They've only claimed two points out of 39 on Liverpool turf.

Liverpool are aiming to complete a fifth Premier League double over the Tyneside club and first since 2005-06.

Home and away

League (inc PL): Liverpool 68 wins, Newcastle 40, Draws 37.

Prem: Liverpool 16 wins, Newcastle 7, Draws 6.

At Liverpool only

League (inc PL): Liverpool 47 wins, Newcastle 11, Draws 14.

Prem: Liverpool 11 wins, Newcastle 1, Draws 2.

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME

Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle United. September 2006.

Liverpool scorers: Kuyt 29, Alonso 79.

THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE

Newcastle United 0-3 Liverpool.

November 24 2007. Liverpool scorers: Gerrard 28, Kuyt 46, Babel 66.

Referee for Liverpool v Newcastle is Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).

RAFA: IT'S IN OUR HANDS NOW

Lee Brown 05 March 2008

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was delighted after Fernando Torres' second hat-trick in consecutive home games helped his side seize the upperhand in the race for fourth place with an emphatic 4-0 win over West Ham at Anfield.
Torres made it 24 for the season with a superb treble, before Steven Gerrard capped a fine win with a superb fourth goal close to the end to take the Reds back above Everton into fourth place.

"We are playing with a lot of confidence now," said Rafa. "We started the season well, but at this crucial stage of the season we are playing really well and you can see the team operating as a team, that is really important.

"It was important to win tonight because we have been talking about this game in hand for a long time, but now when you see the points on the table it is much easier and better for the confidence.

"We have three more points and we are closer now, it depends on us. If we can beat Newcastle we will approach the Inter game with a lot of confidence."

Liverpool's run of form has coincided with Rafa turning to a 4-2-3-1 system that sees Gerrard, Babel, Kuyt and Torres in a four pronged attack, but Rafa thinks there is more to the improvement than the system alone.

"It is more than the system because we have used it in some games before," said Rafa. "We were talking the other day about Ryan Babel and how he needed to settle down, and also Torres is on fire. Some players are playing really well now and that is the difference for the team because everyone has confidence that we will score."

Torres was again the hero, becoming the first Liverpool player to score a hat-trick in consecutive home games in over 60 years, and Rafa revealed that El Nino almost never made the game and then was almost substituted before completing his treble.

"He had a small problem and our first thought was to rest him, but he was ok," said Rafa. "Just before he scored his third and I had told Crouch to get ready to go on and maybe Torres saw him and pushed himself harder.

"If he continues scoring goals I'm sure he will be a threat for all defenders, but he can give us more than that because the defenders might be thinking about him and give a chance to Babel, Gerrard, Kuyt or another."

look out for extended highlights coming soon online. You can also watch the entire 90 minutes online on LFC TV at 12.15am GMT

TORRES DESTROYS HAMMERS

Sporting Life 05 March 2008

Fernando Torres did the damage grabbing back-to-back hat-tricks in Premier League games at Anfield and sending the Reds back into fourth spot.

Torres - who bagged a treble against Middlesbrough last month - grabbed the opener for Liverpool with just eight minutes on the clock courtesy of an expert finish from the Spaniard.

Dirk Kuyt whipped in a low ball from the right wing and Torres stole a yard on Anton Ferdinand to crack the ball home on the turn from inside the box for his 22nd goal of the season.

West Ham should have equalised after 13 minutes when Luis Boa Morte was played in on the left and rounded the on-rushing Jose Reina but from a tight angle his shot was hooked over his own crossbar by Alvaro Arbeloa.

Torres had to wait until 61st minute to make it 2-0. The Spain international was on the end of another cross from Kuyt - this time heading beyond Robert Green into the top corner.

Torres almost grabbed his hat-trick minute later but his firm header from Steven Gerrard's cross hit the post and trickled along the line, but he was not to be denied.

Torres made it 3-0 when he flicked the ball past Lucas Neill before sliding the ball into the corner and moments later Gerrard grabbed Liverpool's fourth. The England man was allowed to advance to the edge of the penalty area before rifling the ball into the top corner.