Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers Pre-Match Thread (PL)

We'd want to be able to get three points out of this game, it would be a bad slip if we didn't

We'd want to be able to get three points out of this game, it would be a bad slip if we didn't

Depends how the bluenoses do today... Yes, we always want to win, obviously... (duh?)

2-1 for me. Not going to be as easy as some might think. Torres and Crouch to score. The boys played on Tuesday night...game is on Sunday...that's enough rest...let's just shore up 4th place 1st and hopefully sneak into 3rd.

Going to be interesting to see Bentley for the last time in an opposition shirt.

Are you that sure he'll be joining us? He's not actually a bad player, only 23 but I don't know if he's too big for Blackburn and not big enough for us... a little like Jermaine Pennant or El Haji Diouf

But those two wouldnt be too big for blackburn thats the thing. Bentley is a completely different player to those two, He has been one of the best players in the premiership (rather unexpectantly) this season as well as players like kranjcar. Pennant wouldnt be too good for blackburn that would be a club that would suit his playing ability even though i still think he is good enough to play for us and is a great player given a run of games.

I think blackburn could make the step up to liverpool, he has the attributes it takes to succeed and he has a point to prove which is good. He is a versatile player who plays with pace, crosses superbly and can play on either wing, it is exactly what we need and fair enough due to the neverending hype surrounding ronaldo this season loads os people all of a sudden think players like bentley arent as good as a player that will use non stop tricks and skills. He is a different kind of winger compared to wingers like ronaldo, quaresma, mancini but can be more effective than those in that he is more about assisting teammates than personal glory but at the same time he gets a fair share of goals. I think he's a big enough player for us and a potential title winning player.

But those two wouldnt be too big for blackburn thats the thing. Bentley is a completely different player to those two, He has been one of the best players in the premiership (rather unexpectantly) this season as well as players like kranjcar. Pennant wouldnt be too good for blackburn that would be a club that would suit his playing ability even though I still think he is good enough to play for us and is a great player given a run of games.

I think blackburn could make the step up to liverpool, he has the attributes it takes to succeed and he has a point to prove which is good. He is a versatile player who plays with pace, crosses superbly and can play on either wing, it is exactly what we need and fair enough due to the neverending hype surrounding ronaldo this season loads os people all of a sudden think players like bentley arent as good as a player that will use non stop tricks and skills. He is a different kind of winger compared to wingers like ronaldo, quaresma, mancini but can be more effective than those in that he is more about assisting teammates than personal glory but at the same time he gets a fair share of goals. I think he's a big enough player for us and a potential title winning player.

A player called Blackburn? Haha only kidding fella, I know that words Bentley and Blackburn can be mixed up.. I've also got a problem mixing the wrong words up

Anyway, I see what you mean. One of my mates is a Man Utd scum fan, but he reckons that Bentley has potential world class about him. He's not like Mancini, Quaresma or Ronaldo like you have said, but yeah he might be able to be more effective than those and he's currently playing ahead of Joe Cole, Wright-Phillips, Lennon and Beckham so it does tell you what the player could achive.

I was at the England - Israel game and when Bentley came on he was getting booed because he didn't want to play for England U21 in the summer due to burnout... is this a sign we should look into?

Anyway about the game, I think we are going to win! No question! Is Torres playing? Maybe part of the game but he's looking f'in knackered. I'd start Babel upfront, it's a kind of experiment but I don't think it's a risky one...

It shows how much events at boardroom level are distracting attention away from playing matters, can't believe this thread is halfway down the page.

A player called Blackburn? Haha only kidding fella, I know that words Bentley and Blackburn can be mixed up.. I've also got a problem mixing the wrong words up

Anyway, I see what you mean. One of my mates is a Man Utd scum fan, but he reckons that Bentley has potential world class about him. He's not like Mancini, Quaresma or Ronaldo like you have said, but yeah he might be able to be more effective than those and he's currently playing ahead of Joe Cole, Wright-Phillips, Lennon and Beckham so it does tell you what the player could achive.

I was at the England - Israel game and when Bentley came on he was getting booed because he didn't want to play for England U21 in the summer due to burnout... is this a sign we should look into?

Anyway about the game, I think we are going to win! No question! Is Torres playing? Maybe part of the game but he's looking f'in knackered. I'd start Babel upfront, it's a kind of experiment but I don't think it's a risky one...

Haha i didnt even notice i said blackburn there. Yeah its true bentley has the potential to become a world class winger, i mean he's still 23 and he has alot of the attributes beckham had like vision and the accuracy but a few things that people used to say beckham would have been a better player with are attributes bentley posseses e.g. pace and the confidence to run at a player.

His free kicks are another plus, alot of our freekicks get wasted and i think i would be more confident with gerrard and bentley standing over the ball than gerrard and Aurelio/Riise. Nnot that either of them are particularly bad at them but this season neither have been at their best taking them.

Another thing is corners, Gerrard takes them but he would be better used in the box as he is a good header of the ball or he could even be at the edge of the box waiting for the second ball to drop. Bentley could take over corner responsibility. And the last thing i think it would benefit crouch if he stays and we had bentleys deliveries into the box for crouch to get on the end of.

David Bentley has far better crossing of the ball than Jermaine Pennant. I'm still not sure if he'd work out right for us. Hopefully he would, and he is a bit more direct to goal than Pennant is. However I feel this English player Rafa has agreed to sign won't be Bentley.. maybe someone we'd never think of?

There isnt anyone else except him or lennon really. The only other person it could be is a defendere like shorey or something.

Sorry, on topic though i think we will win an comfortably on the field but the scoreline may prove otherwise (1-0, 2-1 etc)

Torres to score for me still though.

Good reason for crouch to get more games.

In the 32 games he has scored in, Liverpool have never lost, winning 28 and drawing the other four.

Liverpool v Blackburn 
Venue: Anfield Date: Sunday, 13 April Kick-off: 1330 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live and highlights on Match of the Day 2


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Javier Mascherano will complete a three-match suspension for his red card against Manchester United.

Daniel Agger (knee), Harry Kewell (hamstring) and Jermaine Pennant (hamstring) remain sidelined.

Blackburn striker Jason Roberts faces a fitness test on a groin injury ahead of Sunday's game.

Midfielder David Dunn, who missed last week's 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham with a knee problem, will also be assessed prior to the match.



Make your Premier League predictions


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Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Finnan, Carragher, Skrtel, Hyypia, Riise, Aurelio, Babel, Benayoun, Alonso, Gerrard, Lucas, Crouch, Torres, Voronin, Kuyt, Itandje.

Blackburn (from): Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Khizanishvili, Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Dunn, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, Roberts, McCarthy, Derbyshire, Vogel, Mokoena, Tugay, Brown.



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• Blackburn boss Mark Hughes: "Liverpool's boss Rafael Benitez will likely make changes to the personnel in his side and you never quite know which team he is going to put out.

"That approach makes it more difficult for us to decide what tactics we will use against them.

"But we have our targets - we are on 51 points and if we get 60 by the end of the campaign we'd have had a good season."


BIG-MATCH FACTS
Liverpool, relishing the prospect of yet another Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, return to the business of qualifying for next season's competition through their league position, three days before the 48th birthday of manager Rafa Benitez.

Blackburn's only realistic chance of Europe next season is by qualifying for the Intertoto Cup, for which they are engaged in a three-way fight with Aston Villa and Manchester City.

This match is a clash between the two top-half draw specialists of the Premier League. Liverpool and Blackburn have finished level in 24 of their combined 66 fixtures.

But Rovers have not beaten a "Big Four" club this season, nor in nine since the maximum over Liverpool at Ewood Park on Boxing Day 2006.

Blackburn have won only one of 18 Premier League matches against Liverpool, but they've not won at Anfield since 12 September 1993.


CLUB FORM
LIVERPOOL


Club stats
Fixtures
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures, and refer to stats and sequences in the Premier League only, unless stated otherwise)

1. Lost one of 11 (all competitions).

2. The 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 23 March is their only loss in 10, seven of which were won. Picked up 23 points from a last available 30.

3. Lost four times; only Arsenal (twice) and Chelsea (three times) have been beaten less frequently.

4. Drawn 12; only Blackburn and Fulham have recorded that many stalemates.

5. Just 9% of their goals have been headers - a league low (5 of 57); but they have scored the most from long range - 11 from outside the 18-yard box.

6. Conceded 25 goals; only Manchester United (17) and Chelsea (23) have shipped fewer. Also, allowed the opposition to score first in eight games; only Manchester United can better that (five times).

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

8. Won the last six at home against Sunderland, Middlesbrough, West Ham, Newcastle, Reading and Everton. Aston Villa were the last club to leave Anfield with a point (2-2 on 21 January); Manchester United are the only club this season to take all three points away (0-1, 16 December).

9. Lost one of 21 at Anfield since March 2007, scoring in all but two of those.

10. The league run-in is:-

Fulham (a)
Birmingham (a)
Manchester City (h)
Tottenham (a)

BLACKBURN ROVERS


Club stats
Fixtures
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures, and refer to stats and sequences in the Premier League only, unless stated otherwise)

1. Won one of five; 3-1, home to Wigan on 22 March.

2. Won three of seven.

3. Victory here would take their total of points in this league over the 800 mark (798 at present).

4. Come from behind on 13 occasions this season.

5. Beat Tottenham (a), Newcastle (h), Derby (a) and Bolton (a) from losing positions. Also, rescued 17 points from matches in which they were trailing.

6. One of three clubs to have had six players sent off in this league; Chelsea and Fulham are the others. Also, been shown 75 cards in this league this term (six red, 69 yellow); only Middlesbrough players have been issued with more (79).

7. Used just 22 players; only Aston Villa match that.

8. No club has been awarded more penalties; five of the seven spot kicks given have been converted.

9. All six away wins have been by a single goal, and five by a 1-2 score-line. They are also unbeaten in five against North-West clubs (three wins, two draws), but have won only one of the last five North-West derbies away from home; that being 1-2 against Bolton at the Reebok on 13 January.

10. The run-in is:-

Manchester United (h)
Portsmouth (a)
Derby (h)
Birmingham (a)


KEY PLAYER NOTES
LIVERPOOL


Fernando TORRES is Liverpool's top scorer with 29 goals, and their leading marksman in the Premier League with 21.

TORRES and GERRARD have scored a total of 31 league goals between them.

Goalkeeper Jose 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 and David JAMES of Portsmouth are joint leaders in the race for the Barclays Golden Glove. Both keepers have kept 15 clean sheets.

If selected:-

GERRARD and Sami HYYPIA will be making their 300th Premier League appearances for Liverpool.

REINA will be making his 150th appearance in goal for the Reds.

If on the field from the outset:-

Jermaine PENNANT will be making his 50th start in a Liverpool shirt.

Suspended:-

Javier MASCHERANO (one match)

BLACKBURN ROVERS


Roque SANTA CRUZ is Blackburn's top scorer with 18 goals, and the club's leading Premier League marksman with 14, half of which were headers.

All but three of SANTA CRUZ' league goals have been scored away from home.

Benni McCARTHY has scored in two of his three league appearances against Liverpool.

David DUNN is a hat-trick shy of 50 club career goals.

Brad FRIEDEL has made 181 consecutive appearances for Blackburn since standing between the sticks against Charlton on 27 September 2004.

The 36 year old United States international keeper has put in 147 successive Premier League appearances for Rovers, since the beginning of the 2004-05 season.

Only FRIEDEL has played every minute of every one of Blackburn's league and cup matches this season.

If selected:-

FRIEDEL will be facing a former club. The 36 year old United States international keeper made 31 appearances (25 in the league) for Liverpool between December 1997 and his move to Ewood Park in November 2000.

Stephane HENCHOZ will also be facing former colleagues, although he has not made an appearance so far this season. The 33 year old Swiss international defender made 205 appearances (135 in the league) for the Reds between August 1999 and January 2005.

Stephen WARNOCK will be facing the club where he started his professional career. The 26 year old midfielder made 67 appearances (40 in the league) and scored one league goal, before signing for Blackburn in a £1.5m move in January this year.

Matt DERBYSHIRE will be playing on the eve of his 22nd birthday.


HEAD TO HEAD
Blackburn's only maximum against Liverpool in over 11 years was 1-0 at Ewood Park on Boxing Day 2006, with a close range tap in from McCarthy.

Mike Newell scored the winner in Blackburn's last league victory at Anfield on 12 September 1993.


Home and away
League (inc PL): Liverpool 48 wins, Blackburn 34, Draws 37
Prem: Liverpool 11 wins, Blackburn 6, Draws 10

at Liverpool only
League (inc PL): Liverpool 34 wins, Blackburn 9, Draws 16
Prem: Liverpool 7 wins, Blackburn 1, Draws 5


LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Liverpool 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
14 October 2006 - Ref: Mark Clattenburg
Liverpool scorer: Bellamy 64
Blackburn scorer: McCarthy 17


THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Liverpool
3 November 2007 - Ref: Martin Atkinson


REFEREE
Alan Wiley (Burntwood, Staffordshire)
 

Wow! What a week, I was stuck at camp, on Australia's largest river, canoeing. I had to go there Tuesday here, which made me miss the CL and i only just found out the score today. I almost couldn't handle how tense I was getting, anyway how overjoyed i was when i heard the score. Now Blackburn, if i can remember last time correctly we didn't play too badly againest them and it ended a 0-0 draw. They hit the post twice, but we had our chances as well. I'm looking for a good calm win, as for the team I don't know how it will be placed, there shouldn't be a reason we don't play our strongest team.

I think with Everton slipping up yesturday rafa can afford to field a more risky team, but i dont think thats the way the man works. My team would be:

GK: Reina

DL: Riise
DC: Skrtl
DC: Carra
DR: Finnan

MC: Lucas
MC: Xabi

AML: Babel
AMC: Benayoun
AMR: Pennant

FC: Crouch

But i doubt that's going to match rafa's team

1-1 draw, we always F***ing draw against this lot always.