Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool Tues 10th April KO 20:00 Pre-Match thread

A big game for both sides on Tuesday - Blackburn will be raring to get 3 points here and they'll look at our recent form and will fully believe they can win this. On the other side we need the points to try and finish in a half respectable position.

I thought Agger and Carroll made a bit impact on Saturday - We have so much more power and height when they play.

Apart from his mistake for the Villa goal, I thought Doni put in a confident performance.

I'd like to see this side on Tuesday:

Doni

Flanagan
Skrtel
Agger
Aurelio

Shelvey
Spearing
Gerrard (c)

Suarez
Carroll
Bellamy

Subs; Jones, Coates, Sterling, Downing, Maxi, Kuyt, Eccleston

Defense: I'd save both Johnson and Kelly for the Semi-Final (No point risking them getting injured again). I would also put Agger back in with Skrtel - Rest Carragher as he's looking slower and slower every game. And i'd also like to see Enrique given a rest and give Aurelio a run out.

Midfield: Play a 3 man midfield - Stick with Shelvey and Gerrard and replace Henderson with Spearing.

Strikers: Play Suarez, Carroll and Bellamy together. See how it goes, I'm sure they would work better than the Kuyt-Suarez partnership we've recently seen.

Subs on - Like all other LFC supporters, we wan't to see some youngsters and hopefully we'll see Sterling and Eccleston coming on. I would also like to see Maxi at some point.

Let's get behind the team and get 3 points, I fully believe with the above team we can win comfortably.

I think we'll win this 0-1 (boring I know but a win is a win!) - Suarez to get the only goal.

     

Not confident about this, Blackburn are a decent side, a hell of a lot better than Villa

Took a point off us at Anfield and I'm sure they want the 3 points to stay up.

Any win will do please. I think it's like four or five games we've gone winless.

                                      Doni

Flanagan          Skrtel             Agger/Coates               Aurelio

                       Shelvey        Spearing/Henderson

Gerrard                                                                       Maxi
                          Kuyt                     Suarez

I'm actually unsure whether to play Stevie on the right because there's not much point playing him there when there's no Carroll for him to cross to but he kinda had alot of good balls in yesterday when he was on the right. If not we can go with this ..

                                        Spearing
                     Gerrard                            Shelvey/Henderson

              Kuyt                      Carroll             Suarez     

The players who try on Tuesday, should be the ones keeping their places for the semi-final.

Important game for both sets of teams we all know the problems both face, Blackburn need the points for survival which makes it more harder to play a team fighting to survive, we on the other hand need to climb the table and remove the pressure the Boss is under & confidence build for wembley, 3 points is a must.

Im not too confident but confident enough for a win.

I think there will be quite a few changes for Tuesday to be honest, can see Gerrard getting a rest for sure.

Not sure what team we'll put out tbh.

We need to rest players for Sat but we also need to get our act together as we are so poor at the moment so we need the win

Blackburn away isn't a game you would look to put out youth players as its gonna be a tough physical battle.

Think this has 0-0 all over it which isn't really good enough.

I'll still go for a win but not with too much confidence. Surely we have to see a turnaround soon, just need Kenny to be brave enough to say some of his signings are not up to it and get back to a higher tempo game. With Gerrard bossing the centre mid and not defensive mid or wide right. Maxi in front of him, Suarez up front, Kuytt on the right and Bellamy on the left. Spearing behind Stevie, with Flanno, Agger, Skrtel, and Enrique at the back. There's a side with passing and energy right through it. We don't have the players to play a slow build up like Barca, so why the F**k do we keep trying it. Get fired up and get at them.  We would have wide players with  the energy and drive to get back and help out,a solid back 4, our most creative player in the center of the park and fast feet and one two's with Maxi behind Louis. Hey, and Spearing is o.k. as a defensive mid against the likes of Blackburn. If we went with this I'd confidently say 3.0 to us, and hitting the bar/post a couple of times as well.

AINT GONNA HAPPEN THOUGH IS IT ?

Last game under Roy was this one last season, hopefully the start of a good run this time around. We need a win to boost confidence before the semi. I think we will get the win and the confidence boost.

God, this really is getting desperate. Blackburn fighting for survival while we have no tactics but to run and show great desire the british way! to rely on to beat this lot

I F***ing hope the players have a little more confidence than some of our supporters

They will want it 10 times more.I can see us getting beat once again.

I started the thread on the official website in FD with this:

I am feeling nervous or this one,a team in the bottom 3? We haven't won since Everton and like many I was expecting a 3 points on our points total against Villa. We battered them but poor finishing and great goalkeeping once again denied us.

I think we should give Sterling another chance. I was disappointed to see him left out of the Villa game, now I know he is only 17 but the boy has talent. Speaking of wingers, Stuart Downing has started to impress me but he needs to add a few goals. We could do with Maxi on aswell but at the moment I would keep Downing on and put Gerrard on the right. He hit some amazing crosses in and could do a job on the right. He would also help track back. Both Henderson and Shelvey didn't go forward enough in the first half so If Spearing was in their then maybe whoever plays alongside him might support the strikers more.

I believe it is time to give Coates a go too.But with Daniel Agger back I find it hard to slot him into the line-up. Luis Suarez will/has got yet another Man Of The Match award as I believe he was by far our best player yesterday. Will the lads cope with 2 games in 4 days? Will Kenny rest players with Everton in mind? O, and I was impressed with Doni. I can't fault him for the goal and he made a great effort to reach it unlike Reina.

Anyway:

------------------------Doni-----------------------
--------Flano------Skrtel-----Agger---Enrique
------------------------Spearing------------------
-------Gerrard------------------------Downing--
------------------------Shelvey--------------------
------------------Suarez--------Kuyt-------------

Subs: Jones, Kelly, Coates, Henderson, Sterling, Maxi, Bellamy

0-1. Suarez

View from Blackburn:

http://www.roverstalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4293

If we could get a draw it would be a great Result

We need to go there and win.

No more excuses and no more hard luck stories. FFS we're on a terrible run and there's no excuse to not win if we're determined, organised and aggressive.

It's Blackburn and I'm expecting the manager and players to go for three points and start rebuilding confidence.

If we could get a draw it would be a great Result

Sums it up

This will be an easy win.

This will be an easy win.

I'm not so sure. It SHOULD be an easy win, but we've shown this season we've struggled in games where we "should" win. Blackburn will be fighting for their lives, so we need to come ready to play.

I think we hit on something in the second half of the game against Villa. If we take it into the game against Blackburn we should hammer them. We really have to get at them early, Gerrard out wide, men in the box and we will win.

Its a tough one, what with the seemingly more important Semi Final following.
I think the focus will be more on the cup but then again one loss can see us drop to depths we have not been in years and years at this stage of a season.
We could do with the win to instill some more confidence on the back of a draw we should have won but I am no longer of a result against any team right now.

Maybe a chink of light can be taken from the Villa game - we really pushed at the end and with... wait for it ... better finishing ... could, and maybe should, have nicked the 3 pts. Though might be grasping a bit there, after all Villa are possible relegation material. Still, think if Agger starts that will make a big difference, we've missed him since he got injured, though might be a bit much to equate our bad run simply to him being unavailable.

Thought I heard someone say that statistically we do better in matches that Andy starts. Not sure if that's right, but once Bellers, Agger and Andy came on against Villa, we looked a different side. Kuyts crossing wasn't great, SG whipped in much better service so wonder if we'll see SG on the right again. That though means Hendo in the middle. And Suarez and Andy up front. The only concern about that though would be Hendo can't tackle, so you need someone who can beside him, and even still think we're a bit soft in the middle with this lineup. I like Dirk, but he service was v poor the last day.

Bburn are no great f***in shakes and on a bit of a dip at the minute.  Hope KK doesn't go looking for the draw, and play defensively/not commit. We've not been bad away from home, and the lads might feel a bit less pressure being away from home strangley enough. So, am tenatively optimistic Really hope Dagger starts...

A win of any kind please redmen !

Feel pretty confident we,ll take the three points here,don,t expect a pretty game ,just a result ...I,ll take any win !players owe the fans ,the club, and Kenny !