Preview: Wanderers vs The Scouse

Friday, 14 November 08, 06:30 PM · Comments(0)

Early kick off on Saturday and despite being at home, its a really tough one!

Liverpool have been showing some form this season, they are starting to win some of those 'ugly games' and its no surprise they sit 2nd in the table. Torres is coming back to fitness and is expected to jump back into the starting 11 and his fellow striker Robbie Keane broke his Premier League duck last week scoring two against West Brom. After being beaten in the league cup midweek against Spurs, The Reds will want to get back to business in the league.

However its not only Liverpool in a confident mood, We've won our last two and sit up in 11th place, a bit of a change from two weeks ago when we were dead bottom!

One thing is for sure, we wont give Liverpool any time on the ball and pressure them as much as possible all over the pitch. We'll make things tough for them and compete for everything in a physical manner. Being infront of the Reebok faithful, the players will only want it more and i wouldnt put it past us to snatch a point, maybe optimistic? but if we look at the Liverpool of last season, these are the type of fixtures against the scrappy sides they struggled to finish off.

In the build up to this one Megson came out and said he was backing Liverpool to take the title this season. Personally i still think Chelsea will be too strong in the long run but if Liverpool come here and maul us ill have to think twice about that. If Rafa manages to stick a permant 11 together then they might have a chance.

Onto our line up now, and i cant see there being a change from the side that won at Hull. No need to change the players around and i imagine Megson will have the same out look. Tactic wise though, were going to have to make sure we dont sit too deep like we did at Hull. If Jaaskelainen didnt have a blinder last week we would have lost by a couple of goals and against a team with Liverpools talent we cant afford to make that mistake again. Our best chances are most likely going to come from set pieces, either that or crosses from the wing backs getting forward.

Elmander needs to get really stuck in this match, he is starting to get a bit of stick from the fans for his effort shown in the last handful of matches. Johan went through some matches pretty much unmentioned, but this would be a fixture that should inspire him to run his socks off. Our back four has been playing well together and are getting back to cover each other on the field. McCann has also been turning up the performances this season, killing off attacks and thats what we need him to do tomorrow. Not a player who gets forward that often from midfield and i wouldnt expect him to be turning up in the Liverpool box very often.

Prediction time, and being the Bolton fan i cant go and predict us to lose even if the odds are against us. Were at home so ill take 1-1 and we'll hang on for a point. If i had to choose a scorer it would be Elmander as he really needs the confident boost.

The round up will be a bit later than normal, as ill be spending the day in Auckland, off to the Under-17 Womens World Cup final tomorrow!

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