Preview: Liverpool (Away)

An early start this weekend sees us make the short trip along the M62 to 'crisis club' Liverpool. Often an away day we return from potless, a run of just one win in nine games, including six defeats, means a good number of our supporters are quietly fancying us to end our sequence of five successive draws and get back to winning ways.

The Anfield side's struggles over the last couple of months couldn't have escaped the attention of anyone. Their fans point to injuries and the owners, in truth they've had no more players missing than most, simply they're reliant on two or three whereas their rivals, not just those who are/were part of the established 'big four', but the clubs in the race for the Europa League places, have better overall squads. Their owners, contrary to popular belief, have backed their manager in the transfer market only for him to fritter away around £200m, largely on pap.

The fact that they struggle to win games when Torres or Gerrard are missing doesn't point to mismanagement at board level, it highlights that Benitez has spent a small fortune cobbling together a squad that's no better than when he arrived. Whilst the likes of us, indeed most, might lack the couple of proven and undeniable world-beaters they have, we can bring in players in most positions of roughly the same ability as the preferred choices. Liverpool have David N'Gog.

There seems to be different stories leaking from their camp about who will be available for the game, and how fit they'll be. Of their three real match-winners; Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun, only the squeaky one who occasionally turns up for England was expected to start. Over the last couple of days rumours that Torres and even Benayoun may figure have surfaced, possibly just a bit of propaganda from the under fire Spanish waiter. With a must-win game at Debrecen on Tuesday, i'd be surprised is they all took part.

It's been a few years since we've been tonked at Anfield (the ten goals conceded in a week there during 95/96 stands out as particularly disappointing), generally going down by the odd goal or very occasionally grabbing a point. With everything that's going on, though, their recent poor form, their big game in midweek, rumblings at board and managerial level, and given our hugely-improved squad, it's perhaps not completely ridiculous to secretly fancy our chances. Anfield will always be a difficult place to go, and they can be at their best when the chips are down, but there's probably never been a better time to play them.

The only change i can see us making to the side which started the disappointing 3-3 draw with Burnley would be the reintroduction of Nigel de Jong in central midfield. We're not going to go to Anfield and dominate play, even if their team is weakened, odds are we'll have to soak up possession, maybe even ride our luck as we did last year, and hit them on the counter. To do that we need players who can put themselves about and null the waves of attacks; de Jong and Barry, and someone to turn defence into attack; Ireland. That three-man midfield is almost certain, i'd have thought.

That of course means that someone has to lose out, and i imagine that's most likely to be Shaun Wright-Phillips, despite him having a good second-half last time. Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy should start, with Carlos Tevez making up a three. With Liverpool lacking natural width in their attacking half, Bellamy and Carlos might get a bit of change out of Johnson and Insua. The defence will most probably stay as is, though obviously all isn't well in that department.

I suspect they'll probably start with a patched-up Gerrard playing off either the prolific Andrei Voronin or the latest rule-bending Frenchman N'Gog. Short of other attacking options in midfield Aurelio and Kuyt should start either side of shot-shy South American duo Lucas and Javier Mascherano. Skrtel will prop up the wobbly and past-it Jamie Carragher, with the scandalously-overpriced Glen Johnson and quietly impressive Insua in the full-back roles.

The main reason i fancy us to get at least a draw isn't blind optimism, just the fact that all the pressure's on them. They have to win on Saturday, and they have to win on Tuesday, we're not expected to get anything, though the habit of winning single points instead of three will have to end sooner rather than later. We should be able to go there and enjoy it, play as we know we can, for them it will be win at all costs, and should they go a goal down, or pick up another knock, or even just start the game a bit negatively, the crowd will be on their backs.

We've got the players to hurt them on the counter, and i can't see us not scoring. If our defence can stay solid, and that's a big if given our showings in recent weeks, then we've got a real chance of getting back to winning ways, and hurting our main rivals for 4th. We won't get many chances to make a bigger statement. It's not underestimating them, they're well capable of beating anyone, as we saw against United, but i've just got a hunch it'll be a good day at the office.

Probable teams:
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Insua, Carragher, Skrtel, Mascherano, Kuyt, Lucas, Gerrard, N'Gog, Aurelio

City: Given, Zabaleta, Bridge, Toure, Lescott, de Jong, Ireland, Barry, Tevez, Adebayor, Bellamy

Prediction: Liverpool 1 City 2