Liverpool Vs Portsmouth Mon 15th March 2010

bluefinger

No match thread Yet? Despondency beginning to sink in?

v

The Reds will be determined to return to winning ways in the league and get their top four push back on track after the setback against Wigan as well as the Europa League loss in Lille.

Pompey have already inflicted defeat upon Rafael Benitez's side this season - winning 2-0 at Fratton Park in December.

However, the south-coast club have not tasted victory at Anfield since 1951 and in last season's corresponding fixture, Steven Gerrard's second-half penalty put them to the sword in front of the Kop.

The opposition

Portsmouth arrive at Anfield rooted to the bottom of the Barclays Premier League table.

The Fratton Park side are eight points adrift of safety and their well-documented off-the-field problems mean they face a real uphill task if they're to preserve their top-flight status.

They have won just one of their last 10 league fixtures since defeating Liverpool 2-0 at home in December.

However, there was some cheer for the Pompey faithful last week as Avram Grant's contingent reached the semi finals of the FA Cup, where they will face either Fulham or Tottenham.

In fact, Portsmouth have enjoyed more wins in cup competitions than in the league so far this season.

Ahead of the trip to Merseyside, boss Grant said: "It's never a good time to play Liverpool. They're a very good team with very good players.

"Their squad is full of top, top players and it's never easy to play them - especially at Anfield.

"We beat them earlier in the season at Fratton Park and it will be difficult to beat them again but we will try."

The danger man

Front man Frederic Piquionne is Portsmouth's top goalscorer so far this season having bagged 10 goals in all competitions.

One of those came in Pompey's triumph over the Reds, with his crisp turn and volley sealing a 2-0 win for the south-coast club - and it was the one-time French international's brace that fired Avarm Grant's side into the FA Cup semi finals at Birmingham's expense.

Piquionne is on a season-long loan from Lyon, and the powerful 31-year-old will need to be closely monitored by the Reds' rearguard.

Match stats
By Ged Rea

Liverpool have won six and drawn five of the last 11 league meetings on this ground.

There have been four hat-tricks scored by Liverpool against Portsmouth in league games. The last was by Jack Balmer in November 1946 in a 3-0 win at Anfield.

Liverpool's biggest ever win at Anfield against Pompey is the 8-2 victory in October 1927 which came in their first meeting.

The Reds have lost just two of the last 12 league meetings home and away and only three of the last 17.

Liverpool have scored 33 goals in 14 league games at Anfield this season. At the same stage in 2008-09 they had recorded 22.

The Reds are also two points better off at home this season than at the same time last term.

They have scored in 25 successive league games at home. The last team to prevent the Reds from finding the net at Anfield were West Ham in December 2008.

Dirk Kuyt has featured in every league game for the Reds since April 2008 - an unbroken sequence of 69 matches.

Portsmouth, back in December, were the last team to score more than once in the league against Liverpool.

Pompey are looking to record the league 'double' over Liverpool for the first since 1947-48. The other was in 1931-32.

spockety

It will either be a draw with Liverpool sinking further towards an abyss.

Or. Liverpool will come out at full steam and give Pompey an unfortunate hiding for their troubles.

bluefinger

spockety wrote: »

It will either be a draw with Liverpool sinking further towards an abyss.

Or. Liverpool will come out at full steam and give Pompey an unfortunate hiding for their troubles.

think they'll win handsomely, by that i mean 2-0, quite amazed that we're two points better off at home than this time last season.

tok9

Hoping for a 2 or 3 0 win here...

If Babel doesn't start then i'll seriously have to contemplate if Benitez is the right man for the job.

Aquilani should start too imo... at home we'll need to attack and pass the ball that bit quicker, when he came on against Wigan he was excellent so hopefully he'll get the start.

magma69

I predict another horrible game of football with about 3 decent chances in the whole game. 1-1. I don't even want to watch the game but I need to fulfill my penance and there is still a microscopic part of me that fools itself into thinking tonight will be our first comprehensive victory in months

PHB

Torres is my FF Captain, come on a 7-6 loss. With Torres getting a double hattrick

Johner

Come on Dirk Kuyt.

magma69

PHB wrote: »

Torres is my FF Captain, come on a 7-6 loss. With Torres getting a double hattrick

Torres is out with a groin strain

SlickRic

you serious?

anplaya

think hes taking the piss,havent heard or seen anything about that.

joe123

Well after citys slip up yesterday it shows that we are still in the race for fourth.

Id be expecting a 3-0 to us....or a struggle to win the game maybe 2-1.

John Barnes was talking on sky sports about beckham and then about the pool. Have to say the man talks sense regards benitez not going from a great manager to the worst in the league and he expects us to get fourth still.

If John Barnes says so then I believe him

JPA

Portsmouth will play well for half an hour and miss some good chances, people will wonder how they are doing so badly.
Liverpool will then score from a set piece.
Portsmouth will miss a good chance to equalize.
Half Time.
Low energy start to the 2nd half.
Liverpool get a penalty, 2-0, game over.

SlickRic

if this isn't a home banker...well...i just don't know.

if there's ever a game where the shackles should well and truly be thrown off it's this one.

redzerdrog

any word on the team yet??? is it rosco that usually gets the team news hours before ko

ilovelamp2000

redzerdrog wrote: »

any word on the team yet??? is it rosco that usually gets the team news hours before ko

Nothing yet mate. I've been texting those that usually know but haven't heard a thing back yet.

JimsAlterEgo

To annoy pool fans Kuyt, Carragher,Gerrard,Lucas and Maxi will start. Aqualiai or Babel won't.

Pool to lose 2-0, pompey to score in first half and then 2nd on the break as pool chase the game.

Torres to get sent off, its been coming.

SlickRic

JimsAlterEgo wrote: »

To annoy pool fans Kuyt, Carragher,Gerrard,Lucas and Maxi will start. Aqualiai or Babel won't.

Pool to lose 2-0, pompey to score in first half and then 2nd on the break as pool chase the game.

Torres to get sent off, its been coming.

thanks.

see you Sunday.

Aidric

Portsmouth to score first and game end in a 1-1 draw.

everdead.ie

Think i'm going to put money on o'hara to score he's due a goal I think it's going to be an intresting match tho

Unearthly

Benitez to win his 1st ever Monday night prem game

JimsAlterEgo

SlickRic wrote: »

thanks.

see you Sunday.

I am actually deadly serious, thats they way I see the game happening. Pompey have hit a bit of form, all pressure is off and they have forwards with pace that can cause problems for any defence, let alone one thats likely to be very nervous.

I do think Torres is very close to beign sent off, he has tread a thin line lately and IMO if the game is going against pool he could lose it.

bluefinger

JimsAlterEgo wrote: »

I am actually deadly serious, thats they way I see the game happening. Pompey have hit a bit of form, all pressure is off and they have forwards with pace that can cause problems for any defence, let alone one thats likely to be very nervous.

I do think Torres is very close to beign sent off, he has tread a thin line lately and IMO if the game is going against pool he could lose it.

Nah Torres is petulant at worst, not the type of thuggish forward that will lose it that easily.

SlickRic

JimsAlterEgo wrote: »

I do think Torres is very close to beign sent off, he has tread a thin line lately and IMO if the game is going against pool he could lose it.

nah, there's no thin line.

he gets a bit annoyed and petulant, nothing close to worthy of a sending off.

people have got up his nose, and kicked him an awful lot more than Portsmouth will tonight.

i'd say it'll be 3-1. Nando with two of them.

Fink Goddie

The thoughts of this match makes me yawn zzzzz snore

Unearthly

Unearthly wrote: »

Benitez to win his 1st ever Monday night prem game

I blame ESPN, at least they have only half as many games next year.

Its just insane if Aqualini is not starting.

Bukman13

Unearthly wrote: »

Benitez to win his 1st ever Monday night prem game

He beat Newcastle on Boxing Day (St Stephens' day) 2005 on a Monday but as you said it wasn't a Monday night .

super_furry

It's a home game against Portsmouth and I'm dreading it. That's how far Liverpool have fallen.

Johner

JimsAlterEgo wrote: »

I do think Torres is very close to beign sent off, he has tread a thin line lately and IMO if the game is going against pool he could lose it.

:rolleyes:

Mental Mickey

Is this on the telly?

MementoMori

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Is this on the telly?

ESPN

Really hate Monday night football.

As for those saying Torres is in with a chance of being sent off, I'd say the chances of a hat-trick are far far higher.

Doesn't seem to be any word on Benni's late fitness test yet.

bluefinger

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Is this on the telly?

ESPN

IvySlayer

Liverpool should win. They tend to win when you're not expecting them to. I'd love Pompey to win though!

3 - 1.

ilovelamp2000

Still no team news for this one.

ShamoBuc

I don't care if we are crap, I don't care if we concede, I only care about the 3 points that are on offer, any kind of a win will do. We must be the most boring team to watch at the moment - and I do not say that lightly! We can ill afford anymore slip ups, I think we have seen enough of them this season. With utd and the chavs on the horizon tonight is quite simply a must win or fourth is gone.

Kess73

A nice win tonight would be a good way to celebrate the club's 118th birthday.

niallo27

El Zhar and Ngog are starting ... no Gerrard or Torres

Mr Alan

hopefully Gerrard is dropped, but why no Torres?

ShamoBuc

I seem to remember alot of good results this season when Gerrard and Torres were not playing..... Strange!?!

SickBoy

niallo27 wrote: »

El Zhar and Ngog are starting ... no Gerrard or Torres

:eek:

RasTa

Obv fake

Yellowledbetter

Has to be a P!ss take,El Zahr hasnt seen competitive football in months.


Like most fans Im kinda half dreading the thought of this match but to be fair we cant keep playing as bad as we have been and I reckon were well over due giving some team a good spanking and hopefully that will be tonight......or Sunday!

MagicMarker

Liverpool to lose tonight and win 4 nil at the weekend. Such is life.

joe123

If aquilani doesnt start tonight Ill...well I dont know what but it wont be good!

niallo27

RasTa wrote: »

Obv fake

Thats what i heard, i'm not going just to make up stuff, not 100% but usually realiable

missingtime

Please win today liverpool. Please.

ShamoBuc

.....Lose tonight and win 4 nil Sun........ Happy days!

FUNKY LOVER

any streams?

niallo27

The Reds side in full is: Reina, Insua, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Mascherano, Aquilani, Gerrard, Babel, Rodriguez, Torres. Subs: Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Benayoun, Kuyt, Lucas, Kelly.

Tusky

The Reds side in full is: Reina, Insua, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Mascherano, Aquilani, Gerrard, Babel, Rodriguez, Torres. Subs: Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Benayoun, Kuyt, Lucas, Kelly.

---

Reina

Johnson---Carra----Agger----Insua

---

Masch---Aquilani

Maxi

---

Gerrard

---

Babel

---

Torres

Kuyt benched! Good team, but would rather Yossi than Maxi. Dont know what Maxi has done to get so much gametime...

niallo27

I was way off first time

Yellowledbetter

No complaints with that team,its very attack minded and hopefully more than enough to get the job done.