FRIDAY 18
	Avram taking nothing for granted Portsmouth boss Avram Grant refuses to read too much into Liverpool's indifferent run of form - but admits he would love to retain his unbeaten record against Rafael Benitez. The Reds travel to Fratton Park for Saturday's lunchtime fixture to face the Premier League's bottom club. The Israeli said: "Liverpool deserve to be in the top four - they are a very good team. There is never a good time to play a big team. "Of course, my record against him (Benitez) is a record I would like to keep. But it's not easy to play against his teams. "He's very tactical and he knows what he is doing. I must admit that it was always very difficult to play against him with Chelsea." (Sporting Life)   Rafa lauds 'amazing' Carra Rafa Benitez has paid tribute to Jamie Carragher ahead of his 600th appearance for Liverpool. The defender has been with the club for his entire professional career after working his way through the academy and an apprenticeship. Benitez believes such accomplishments will become almost impossible to replicate now the game has gone so global. He explained: "Maybe someone will do it but it will be very difficult. Now there is too much money around the world in football. "If you have a good player normally someone will make a good offer and the agents have too much power. "Modern football is more difficult so 600 games in a top side for a local player is a massive achievement." (Sky Sports)   Rafa eyes Euro chance for Reds Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez sees the Europa League as a realistic opportunity to win silverware despite being handed a tough draw on Friday. Like the Reds, Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni exited the Champions League group stages having finished third behind Sevilla and Stuttgart - and ahead of Rangers - and Benitez knows they will pose a threat. "For me it is too early [to talk about it] because we know we will play in February so we have plenty of time to prepare and learn about the other team," said the Spaniard. "It will be tough. Unirea won the league in their country and were in a tough group with Sevilla and Stuttgart - I have some friends in Sevilla so maybe I'll be in touch with them. "But it is important to have an option to win any trophy. The Europa League is different to the Champions League but there are some good teams in it. "We have to progress if we can and then it is an opportunity to win a trophy and we will try to do it." Liverpool, as an unseeded team after their poor Champions League display, will play the first leg at home on February 18 before travelling to Romania the following week. "We would prefer to play the second game at home but we have to be ready. It will be interesting," added Benitez. (TEAMtalk) Johnson fit for Pompey encounter Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has been passed fit to face his former club Portsmouth in Saturday's Premier League at Fratton Park. The England right-back, who left Pompey to move to Anfield in the summer, has been troubled by a hamstring injury and missed Wednesday's victory over Wigan as a precaution. Striker Fernando Torres is likely to start having come off the bench to score against the Latics but winger Albert Riera still has a hamstring problem and is not fit. Forward Ryan Babel returns to the squad after an ankle injury. Liverpool (from): Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Aquilani, Kuyt, Torres, Cavalieri, Lucas, Aurelio, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Babel, Degen. (TEAMtalk) Dalglish: Reds respect Unirea Kenny Dalglish insists Liverpool will not be under-estimating Unirea Urziceni after being pitted against the Romanians in the Europa League. The Reds, like Unirea, dropped into the Europa League after failing to progress from the group stage of the Champions League. Unirea finished third in Group G and picked up a memorable win over Rangers at Ibrox in the group. Dalglish admitted Reds boss Rafa Benitez is likely to speak to Rangers counterpart Walter Smith to get the lowdown on their opponents. "I think they got eight points in their Champions League group which included Rangers, Sevilla and Stuttgart so that's a decent number of points," Dalglish told Sky Sports News. "Obviously there is plenty of coverage now, it's not as if you're going to get a team that won't have been on television so there's plenty of tape there for Rafa (Benitez) to have a look at. "And also there's a phone call up the road to Walter Smith at Rangers, I'm sure he'll be happy to disclose any information he's got on them. "It will be a difficult game. They go on a break until March now but whether the rest helps them or hinders them remains to be seen." Liverpool could face a return to Istanbul, scene of their famous Champions League success of 2005, in the last 16 if they overcome Unirea with Fenerbahce or Lille waiting in the next round. (Sky Sports) Reds face Romanian test Liverpool have been drawn against Unrea Urziceni in the first knockout round of the Europa League. Full draw: Everton v Sporting Lille v Fenerbahce FC Twente v Werder Bremen Standard Liege v Salzburg Villarreal v Wolfsburg Hamburg v PSV Eindhoven Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk Club Brugge v Valencia Ajax v Juventus Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray Panathinaikos v Roma Copenhagen v Marseille Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel Aviv No England regrets from Carra Jamie Carragher doesn't regret retiring from international football. The Liverpool defender retired from international football in 2007 and although he was asked to reconsider his decision by Fabio Capello he insists he has no regrets. "I was supposed to meet [Capello's assistant] Franco Baldini for a chat a year ago and at the last minute I pulled out. It was more out of courtesy that I was going to do it. Stevie [Gerrard] had mentioned it to me a couple of times, so I agreed to the meeting, but at the last minute I just didn't want to do it," said Carragher. "I don't think my situation would change if I got back in the squad. John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are first choice and they are two of the best central defenders in the world. "Maybe I would have won ten more caps over the last couple of years because Rio and John have missed a few games, but you couldn't ask for a better centre-half pairing than those two going into the World Cup." (LFC Online)
	THURSDAY 17
	Purslow makes assurances over new stadium Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow has assured England’s 2018 World Cup Campaign team that the New Anfield Stadium will be completed in time to host matches if England’s bid is succesful. (This is Anfield) Carra to reach 600 games Jamie Carragher, the reds' current longest serving player, will reach another milestone by playing his 600th reds game if he turns out at Portsmouth on Saturday. All of his previous centenary games have come at Anfield. His 500th game came in a FA Cup Third Round replay against Luton Town in January 2008 that we won 5-0 when Steven Gerrard bagged a treble, while his 400th was a 1-0 League victory over Arsenal when a late Luis García strike handed us the points. (YNWA) Liverpool unseeded for Europa League draw Liverpool will not be seeded for the Europa League knockout stage draw which takes place in Switzerland on Friday. The Reds enter at the round of 32 stage after being eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages. Liverpool join fellow Premier League sides Fulham and Everton, who are also unseeded, in the draw. A Uefa spokesman said: "The 12 group winners from the Europa League and the best four third-placed sides from the Champions League are the top-16 seeds." Liverpool moved into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group, but their poor goal difference means they miss out on a seeding. In six matches they scored only five goals and conceded seven. The Uefa spokesman added: "Among the clubs dropping down from the Champions League, Juventus and Unirea Urziceni won more points than Liverpool, while Marseille and Wolfsburg had a better goal difference." Uefa's decision means Liverpool could be paired with any of those four, while German holders Werder Bremen, Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk and Galatasaray from Turkey also lie in wait. Seeded teams also have the advantage of playing the second leg at home. (BBC Sport Online) Kuyt keen to push on Dirk Kuyt has urged Liverpool to build on their victory over Wigan and go on a winning run. The Reds suffered a disappointing defeat at home to Arsenal on Sunday before bouncing back with three points in midweek. Rafa Benitez's men showed glimpses of their best form as they overcame the Latics 2-1 thanks to goals for David Ngog and Fernando Torres. Kuyt was pleased with the result and performance and has called for more of the same in Saturday's away game against Portsmouth. "It's a really important win. We showed we wanted to win and played good football for most of the game," the Dutchman told Liverpool's official website. (Sky Sports)   Torres can fire us up the table says Mascherano Javier Mascherano today hailed Fernando Torres’ return to goalscoring form and predicted the Spaniard will spark a change in Liverpool’s fortunes. The Reds’ leading striker climbed off the bench to mark his 100th appearance for the club with the crucial second goal in last night’s 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic. Now Mascherano is hoping the £20m man will repeat last season’s heroics at Fratton Park – Torres scored twice in a dramatic 3-2 win – when they go to Portsmouth on Saturday. “It is so important for us that Fernando stays fit,” said Mascherano, who again played a hugely instrumental part in Liverpool’s performance. “We know that we can win games when he is not playing but, equally, when he is on the pitch, you can see the respect that other teams give him. “He causes them so many problems. With Fernando and Stevie (Gerrard) on the pitch, we know that there is always a chance something special can happen." (Liverpool Echo) Relief as Reds finally get a springboard for recovery On the night they came to pay tribute to the man who made the people happy, at long, long last the people finally had something to smile about. While Liverpool may not have been able to conjure up a display befitting the occasion, thanks to a combination of hard work and perseverance, the match closest to the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly’s first as Liverpool manager was marked with a win. This 2-1 dismissal of Wigan Athletic will live in the memory banks only for the fact some of the club’s most famous sons returned home, but there should be no underestimating its importance. Having been caught in a maelstrom ever since Chelsea flattened them at Stamford Bridge on October 4, the Reds needed a helping hand from the footballing gods and, mercifully, they got one. (Dominic King - Liverpool Echo) Returning heroes help Liverpool FC win again If Liverpool’s players were in search of inspiration last night they didn’t have far to look. On a night of nostalgia at Anfield the club’s legends were out in force to mark the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly’s arrival and celebrate the legacy he left. From 60s Kop heroes like Roger Hunt, Ian St John, Tommy Smith, Ron Yeats and Ian Callaghan to 70s stars like Phil Thompson, Steve Heighway and Kevin Keegan. Players with more medals than grey hairs who helped Shankly achieve his dream of turning Liverpool into the most successful club in the land. Some of the most lauded names in the club’s illustrious history formed a guard of honour to applaud the current crop on to the field last night. It had the desired impact as Liverpool returned to winning ways and re-ignited their charge for Champions League qualification. On a night when past successes were commemorated, there were at least some signs of promise for the future. (James Pearce - Liverpool Daily Post)   Rafa takes points over performance Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez admitted the 2-1 victory over Wigan mattered more than the performance on an emotional night at Anfield With the club celebrating the 50th anniversary of legendary boss Bill Shankly's first game in charge, a host of former stars were paraded at half-time. But having stumbled through the last two months Benitez said three points was the only thing his side had to worry about. "It was very important to win, to get three points, with a lot of positives," said Benitez. "It does not matter if we couldn't score more goals and be more relaxed in the second half but, at the end of the day, three points is key." (ITV Football)
	WEDNESDAY 16
	Reds scrape nervy win Goals from David Ngog and Fernando Torres saw Liverpool scrape a nervy 2-1 home victory over Wigan on Wednesday. Ngog opened the scoring on nine minutes when he headed home Fabio Aurelio's cross from the right. But it then became a nervy affair for the home side who spurned a host of chances. At the other end, substitute Jason Scotland hit the bar before fellow substitute Torres latched onto a back header from Emmerson Boyce and rounded Chris Kirkland before slotting home on 79 minutes, despite Titus Bramble's best efforts to stop him. Charles N'Zogbia then netted a goal deep into stoppage time to set up a tense finale but the Reds held on for a crucial win, which raises them up to sixth, five points off the UEFA Champions League places. The win in the week of the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly's first match at the club would not have impressed the legendary manager but it was a welcome relief for current boss Rafa Benitez. It was only Liverpool's fourth win in 16 matches and just their second at Anfield since 26th September but it will do much for the team's shaky confidence. (Sky Sports)   Liverpool v Wigan: No Torres or Johnson Liverpool are without Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson for the visit of Wigan at Anfield this evening. Torres made his first start since October in the defeat to Arsenal on Sunday but David Ngog and Dirk Kuyt start tonight with the Spaniard on the bench. Carragher will start at right back with Skrtel coming in for Johnson. Lucas Leiva is dropped to the bench with Gerrard moving into the centre alongside Mascherano. Fabio Aurelio starts on the left of midfield. There’s still no start for Alberto Aquilani. Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Insua, Benayoun, Mascherano, Gerrard, Aurelio, Kuyt, Ngog. Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Torres, Kyrgiakos, Lucas, Darby, Dossena. (This is Anfield) Napoli tired of Dossena talk Andrea Dossena looks set to miss out on a move to Napoli after his agent revealed negotiations might have to end. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis admitted earlier on Wednesday he was becoming frustrated by the whole transfer saga. The Liverpool left-back has been linked with a move to the Serie A club after a difficult 18 months at Anfield. A deal with Napoli broke down amid suggestions that personal terms could not be agreed but the speculation continued and De Laurentiis has made no secret of his interest. De Laurentiis hopes something can be sorted but insists he would be prepared to turn his focus elsewhere. "I'm tired of hearing about Dossena. If they want to give him to us OK, otherwise nothing," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "What is the problem? If a player wants to relaunch, he cannot think only of money. Dossena's representative Federico Pastorello has now conceded that a move is unlikely to go ahead. "I don't want controversy, I'm on good terms with the president," Pastorello told Sky Italia. "I think there aren't conditions for continuing negotiations with Napoli." (Sky Sports) van Nistelrooy close to January move? Former Man United forward Ruud van Nistelrooy is close to agreeing a six-month loan move to Liverpool, according to reports on Wednesday. The Real Madrid and Holland international is out of favour at the Bernabeu and with Rafa Benitez seeking cover for Fernando Torres up-front, van Nistelrooy has been heavily linked with a return to the Premier League. (This is Anfield)  Eccleston agrees Reds stay Skysports.com understands Liverpool's promising striker Nathan Eccleston has agreed a new three-and-a-half year contract. The former Bury trainee had been out of contract at the end of the season, but will now commit his long-term future to the Premier League giants. The 18-year-old, who has been in impressive form with six goals in ten reserve team outings, is currently away with Liverpool's second string in Spain and will put pen-to-paper upon returning to England. Eccleston had reportedly been attracting interest from Premier League rivals, but has ended fears he could jump ship by agreeing to stay until the summer of 2013. The youngster has broken into Rafa Benitez's side this season after appearing in Carling Cup action against Arsenal while he also made his Premier League debut off the bench against Fulham. Benitez is believed to be willing to loan out Eccleston in January in order to further his education with both Blackpool and Nottingham Forest keen on bringing him to the Championship. (Sky Sports) Liverpool close to new £124m investment Liverpool co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are close to selling a £124million share in the club, according to this morning’s Daily Telegraph. The paper suggests that Gillett met with potential investors in London last week, looking to sell £62million of his own shares and £62million of business partner Hicks’ shares in the club. It is unknown whether the new investment would go to pay off the club’s debt, thought to be around £240million. (This is Anfield)     Torres expects Rafa stay Fernando Torres has expressed his disappointment with Liverpool's season but backed Rafa Benitez to stay at the club and turn things around. There have been suggestions that he could leave Anfield but Torres does not believe he would want to go out on such a low note. "It looked like this was going to be our season, but it's turned out very differently from what we expected," the Spanish striker said in the Daily Star. "I don't think Rafa will leave, especially halfway through the season. "He still has four years to run on his contract, and he would not leave through the back door. Reports have also linked Torres with a move away from Liverpool but he has reiterated his commitment to the club. The 25-year-old insists he will stay regardless of what happens with Benitez, although he would like to work under his current boss for as long as possible. "I still have four years left on my contract and my future is here," he said. "It's not linked to Rafa's, but I hope that we can see out our contracts here together. "Right now I don't see myself playing elsewhere. "Now I just want to improve the side's current standing and hopefully we'll all remain here together." (Sky Sports) Boss insists Torres will not be leaving Liverpool FC Manager Rafael Benitez last night paid tribute to “amazing” Fernando Torres as he guaranteed Liverpool would finish in the Premeir League’s top four come May. And Benitez dismissed concerns that club’s financial restraints could trigger the striker’s exit next summer. The 25-year-old frontman is set to make his 100th appearance for the club in tonight’s Premier League clash with Wigan at Anfield. Torres needs two league goals to reach a half century of strikes quicker than any other player in Liverpool’s history. He has proved a major hit since he was snapped up from Atletico Madrid for £20m in 2007. “He’s been an amazing signing for the club,” Benitez said. “His first year was fantastic and he did everything really well. In his second year he had some problems with injuries but he still did well. “Hopefully this year he’ll give to us the same as he did in his first season. “On the pitch he is good but he is also a great professional and he means a lot to the fans.” Reports have suggested Manchester City are prepared to test the club’s resolve with a huge bid. However, Benitez insists Torres understands Liverpool’s financial situation and he is convinced none of his star names will have to go anywhere in search of Champions League football next season. (Liverpool Daily Post) Thor Zakariassen ©