Team against Chelsea in the CC

[tomasjj]

You can **** off with that **** right now!

It will come back, mark my words.

Not from me though.

[carlton]

I don't think so, mate.

He had a set back, and the pains are not yet gone so he has been sent to a specialist.

Yep. Over on the TLW they reckon he has gone back to see his old specialist from Brondby. It hurts to wear footy boots apparently.

[dww]

It will come back, mark my words.

Not from me though.

I would have done it second half against the Mancs to be honest.

Awaits abuse.

[REDSCOUSER]

Steven Gerrard out of Carling Cup clash as Xabi Alonso returnsDec 18 2007
EXCLUSIVE by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

STEVEN Gerrard has been ruled out of Liverpool's trip tp Chelsea after going down with a stomach bug.
The Reds skipper will now not be part of the Reds party which travels to London tomorrow morning ahead of the Carling Cup quarter final clash.
With Gerrard out of contention, Rafa Benitez is likely to give the fit again Xabi Alonso his first start since picking up a metatarsal injury against Arsenal in October.
The Spanish midfielder has now fully recovered from the metatarsal injury he suffered against Arsenal in October and is pushing for a recall in tomorrow night’s Carling Cup quarter final at Chelsea.


Gerrard's sickness gives Xabi the chance to get some time on the pitch and gain his fitness back. For me the Portsmouth match is more important than this one. SG will be back Saturday. Fingers crossed.

[JonesLegend02]

I would have rested Stevie anyway, along with our genuinely key players Carra, Mascherano and Torres. Didn't like the look of Itandje against Reading so I would stick with Pepe for this one.

Reina

Arbeloa Hobbs Hyypia Aurelio

Babel Alonso Sissoko Kewell

Voronin
Crouch

[sonsofthedesert]

I would have rested Stevie anyway, along with our genuinely key players Carra, Mascherano and Torres. Didn't like the look of Itandje against Reading so I would stick with Pepe for this one.

Reina

Arbeloa Hobbs Hyypia Aurelio

Babel Alonso Sissoko Kewell

Voronin
Crouch

I want us to win this game.

[Nicey]

is this game on tonight ?

[Nicey]

Bollix ... ahh well lets watch Arsenal get knocked out instead ... ****ing 4.00 am here

[Red_Al_77]

is this game on tonight ?

Wednesday Nicey 7.45pm

[kop-al-74]

Strongest team please. Winning trophies is what Liverpool is all about. We have lost two important games recently and losing another will be bad for the confidence. They are without Drogba and Terry so we should be able to outgun them quite easily.

As ever,wise and true words spoken.

Whoever says they don't care about the result,i really can't understand them.

I want Liverpool to win everything and every game.

I will be more passionate with this game than i was about the league game on sunday.

But not as passionate as i will be about the next game at the weekend.


I love you more today than yesterday but not as much as tommorow!

[AFII]

Benitez won't risk stars
David Maddock 19/12/2007

Rafa Benitez is ready to take a massive gamble on his Liverpool side tonight despite a difficult week of heavy criticism.

The Spaniard knows that if he picks a weakened team and they crash out of the Carling Cup at Chelsea, then he will leave himself open to even more sniping. But that is exactly what he will do at Stamford Bridge, as he offers his players a rest ahead of what he believes is a crucial Premier League clash with Portsmouth at the weekend.

Benitez will rest his star names Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano, and will even consider leaving stand-in skipper Jamie Carragher out of the starting line-up.

Gerrard will not even travel to London after complaining of a stomach bug yesterday, and Torres will not be risked after a heavy programme in recent weeks.

Many people consider the Carling Cup as Liverpool's most likely route to winning a trophy now, after the home League defeat by Manchester United at the weekend.

But it is clear that Benitez doesn't see the competition as important enough to field his strongest side, and instead will rest players with Saturday's game in mind.

The coach is well known for gambling on team selection, most notably this season when he picked a weakened team against Marseille in the Champions League and surprisingly lost at Anfield.

Last night he said: "Clearly this cup tie is important, but know we are going into a crucial stage of the season, so we have to find a balance with our selection.

"It is not possible for players to play every game and we have to recognise we have an important game against Portsmouth at the weekend.

Chelsea will rest some players and so will we. We have a lot of games in a short space of time so we have to keep the players with the same mentality and look to play as well as we can."

Benitez has been under intense pressure from the club's American owners, and many people expected him to pick a strong side in an attempt to lift a trophy this season.

But he still feels that Liverpool are not out of the title race, and therefore sees the visit to Anfield of Portsmouth as being of more importance. "We have one game in hand so the situation can improve and we're about to play four league games in a short time over Christmas. That means it is too early to say we are out of it.

"We have to think about winning games, keeping the confidence of the players high and see what the situation is at the end of the next month."

Benitez will, at least, finally have Xabi Alonso back tonight.

The Spaniard has been absent for the best part of three months with a broken foot.

He is likely to partner Momo Sissoko and Lucas Leiva in midfield, with Andrei Voronin returning to play alongside Peter Crouch up front, and Ryan Babel is also due a start.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...9520-20260076/

[The Erectile Banana]

Gerrard's out of the game through illness.

I guess that could mean a start for Xabi?

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2229615,00.html

[AFII]

I hope that the stomach bug don't will spread to the rest of the squad.

[Red_Al_77]

Which competitions are important then Rafa? I'm getting sick of all this to be honest. If we carry on in this vain then all our players will be fresh for is their some holidays. If a young man like Torres can't handle 3 games in 7 days then there is something amiss. Bloody lightweights the lot of 'em. The FA cup isn't until Jan, the CL is months off. Chelsea are there for the taking. What's the point of even entering if not to take it seriously.

[AFII]

Which competitions are important then Rafa? I'm getting sick of all this to be honest. If we carry on in this vain then all our players will be fresh for is their some holidays. If a young man like Torres can't handle 3 games in 7 days then there is something amiss. Bloody lightweights the lot of 'em. The FA cup isn't until Jan, the CL is months off. Chelsea are there for the taking. What's the point of even entering if not to take it seriously.

We will probably play with a weaker XI today than we did when we beat Reading, that's just weird.