Title Race

[Muddled]

Admire the optimisim but you only had to look at the players post Palace game. They dont believe it is on any more

Just appreciate a very good seasom

Yup.

If a miracle is to happen, it needs to be Aston Villa. I don't think the players will have anything left in the tank if they need to turn things round last minute against Newcastle.

[Sarb]

Just hope the players put on a show against Newcastle. Go out on a positive note. Hopefully Coutinho and Hendo will come back in so I am confident

[john316]

Hendo with those 3 weeks off will probably be running into the ground rather than taking the coach to Anfield! Should be running around like a mad man on Sunday.

[calvoboy]

So it looks like Agbonlahor and Weimann are out tonight, along with Benteke. ****ing great. Jordan Bowery is likely to start. Bowery signed from Chesterfield, where he couldn't get a regular start, 18 months or so ago. He has never scored a goal for Villa (in about 17 games), went on loan to Doncaster where he couldn't get a game and scored 0 goals. He's scored about 10 goals in his life, all at L2 level.

It's on!

Wow - just looked him up and his stats are truly shocking for a striker. 17 goals in 107 appearances for Chesterfield. None in 20 for Villa. None on loan at Barrow and Doncaster. Career total 17 goals in 128 games.

There are defenders with better goalscoring stats than that...

[Yozza]

Hendo with those 3 weeks off will probably be running into the ground rather than taking the coach to Anfield! Should be running around like a mad man on Sunday.

Especially against the Geordies, being a Mackem n'all

[Sarb]

Actually looking forward to see him back

Have missed him. Have liked the guy since we signed him

[calvoboy]

Yup.

If a miracle is to happen, it needs to be Aston Villa. I don't think the players will have anything left in the tank if they need to turn things round last minute against Newcastle.

I don't know - last day jitters can play a big part. If we were to get off to our usual good start at home and were a couple of goals up while they were nil-nil then it might start to filter through to them. I'm not expecting anything from Villa with a weakened squad tonight. West Ham could cause them a few more problems with Allardyce's tactics if they're in the mood for spoiling the title party.

[Muddled]

I don't know - last day jitters can play a big part. If we were to get off to our usual good start at home and were a couple of goals up while they were nil-nil then it might start to filter through to them. I'm not expecting anything from Villa with a weakened squad tonight. West Ham could cause them a few more problems with Allardyce's tactics if they're in the mood for spoiling the title party.

Fair comment.

My positivity has been zapped; I'm all for snippets of hope.

[danperkins]

Villa's side is so poor without the front 3. Not a chance

[Sarb]

Wow - just looked him up and his stats are truly shocking for a striker. 17 goals in 107 appearances for Chesterfield. None in 20 for Villa. None on loan at Barrow and Doncaster. Career total 17 goals in 128 games.

There are defenders with better goalscoring stats than that...

Why would a PL club sign a striker with those stats. Quite simply bizarre and sums up the ambitions of Randy Lerner. He is lucky to have escaped relegation

[Fredo]

It's not on anymore. No glimmer of hope for me. City will win their next two games. You could see that the players know that it's finished now.

[Reece]

I can exclusively reveal to you Nigey that Villa will win tonight. You heard it here first.

[Sarb]

I can exclusively reveal to you Nigey that Villa will win tonight. You heard it here first.

You should ban yourself for trying to give people false hope. Dont do it.

Tonight is all about the return of Jack Bauer. **** the football

[Yozza]

BR: We'll learn from 13-14 experiences

Brendan Rodgers believes regardless of the outcome of the 2013-14 season, the highs and lows Liverpool have experienced will stand them in good stead for achieving future success.

The Reds currently sit one point clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League table; however, Monday night's frustrating 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace means Manchester City are clear favourites to clinch the title.

Nonetheless, Rodgers feels the learning curve his side have undertook this campaign will go some way to ensuring they're challenging year upon year.

He told Liverpoolfc.com: "It's everything. To be successful, you have to be able to lose. If you look over the years, the great winners have been teams and individuals that have lost but have gone on and became a champion again.

"We've made great strides this season and there's still another game to go.

"If anyone had said to us in August about being top going into the last week of the season, we would have taken that. We've qualified for the Champions League, but we know there is an awful lot of work here that we want to achieve."

Rodgers was speaking at the inaugural Liverpool FC Players' Awards Dinner on Tuesday night, at which he was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement accolade for guiding the Reds to an incredible campaign.

"It means a lot on the back end of Monday night because we were all very, very disappointed with how the game ended up," said the manager. "But as I said earlier, there are good times and bad times and you have to take both.

"To come here and be with the supporters was great for the very first ever awards night. I've got to say, [the award] was a big surprise."

Luis Suarez scooped three awards on the night; Players' Player of the Year, Supporters' Player of the Year and Goal of the Season.

It was just rewards for a record-breaking season, insisted Rodgers.

"It's thoroughly deserved," he said. "There have certainly been other players that have contributed to this season and as a team we've been outstanding, but I think it's hard to argue against Luis.

"He's been absolutely phenomenal in his work and the great thing about Luis Suarez is his professionalism. People don't really mention that so much.

"To play the games he plays to the level he plays takes huge professionalism and he always looks after his body well, trains every day and he gets his rewards.

"I'm delighted for him and it's been a really good night for the football club."

It wasn't just the first team in attendance at the ACC Conference Centre as the likes of Liverpool's Academy and Ladies team were also recognised.

Meanwhile, a number of Anfield legends were also present - something Rodgers felt was important.

He said: "The sense of the present always gives me a great pride; being the manager here and watching players perform, and you've seen a lot of that in big games. They've really shone through and our methods, vision and how we want to work has been clear.

"But I also get a great pride about being the manager when I get a sense of the past here. Kenny [Dalglish], Ronnie {Moran], Phil Thompson, John Aldridge and all of those guys here - these are people of why I came to Liverpool.

"It's very important we remember those guys because they are the people that made Liverpool what it is. To honour them is as equally important as the present. We're very much the Liverpool family here and we have to ensure the present-day manager and players continue with those traditions."

[Reece]

West Ham will also get a draw.