Liverpool Vs Blackburn Preview
Liverpool will host Blackburn on Sunday in what promises to be an intriguing match up at the very least. Second from bottom Liverpool, who are low in confidence and struggling to find form will be looking for their second win of the season. Sam Allardyce, the
Blackburn manager, on the other hand will fancy his chances against a Liverpool side which he see's as being 'in decline'.
There isn’t much in league positions between the two as Blackburn just sit one position above the Reds with 3 points separating them. Even if Liverpool do manage a win there is little chance of them actually overtaking Blackburn.
The reds have managed no wins in their last five games in a miserable run that’s seen them pick up 2 points from a possible 15, as opposed to Blackburn's 5 points.
On their current form there isn’t much to separate them, however home advantage could play a pivotal role in the match. With the New England Sports Venture (NESV) set to make their Anfield bow, one could take it as a sign of change
at the club.
Liverpool’s star duo of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard are sure to be back in the starting lineup after being rested for Liverpool’s trip to Napoli. Raul Meireles and Lucas were also among those rested and will hope to feature
against the Rovers. Roy Hodgson will be sweating on the fitness of Glenn Johnson and Daniel Agger otherwise Jamie Carragher and Stoirios Kyrgakios will be on standby to deputize. Dirk Kuyt, however, will not feature as he is still recovering from an ankle
injury he picked up while on international duty.
Blackburn on the other hand will be without their captain Christopher Samba who will be serving his suspension for the red card he received against Sunderland. Ryen Nelsen will also hope to add to manager Sam Allardyce’s options
as he regains his fitness. Rover’s Striker Benjani will undergo a late fitness test after suffering a concussion in Blackburn’s last outing against Sunderland. David Dunn’s availability will a boost or the Rovers, however, Keith Andrews hasn’t recovered from
his groin operation and will not feature.
There has been a lot of talk and speculation especially regarding the Merseyside outfit. With manager Roy Hodgson receiving heavy criticism and his future being cast in doubt. The Liverpool manager knows that this is part of managing
a high profile club, and the only way to deal with it is to win matches, something the Red’s manager hasn’t been able to do on a regular basis. There has been talk of a rift between Roy Hodgson and misfiring striker Fernando Torres, however the former was
quick to quash such talk saying he was ‘saddened’ by these rumors.
Sam Allardyce on the other hand has been on the offensive claiming he will show no mercy to the Red’s when his trip visit Anfield. Though he may get less than a warm reception from the Red’s fans after his statement concerning
Liverpool to be on the decline.
Liverpool will be hoping that Fernando Torres can find his scoring touch against the Rovers and maybe kick start his season as the star striker has only managed one goal in the league this campaign. A lot will depend on Torres
but the main man to watch will be Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard who can single handedly change games. It will be interesting to see how Rou Hodgson deploys the dynamic midfielder and his role will be pivotal. Liverpool fans will also hope to see the best
of new boys Joe Cole and Raul Meireles who should start showing their worth.
Possible starting XIs:
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Konchesky, Meireles, Poulsen, Cole, Gerrard, Maxi, Torres.
Blackburn: Robinson, Salgado, Nelsen, Givet, Olsson, Emerton, N'Zonzi, Jones, Pedersen, EH Diouf, Kalinic.
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