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MONDAY 9 |
Aurelio reveals faith in Benitez
Fabio Aurelio has revealed the Liverpool players believe
Rafael Benitez's European pedigree will help them reach
another Champions League final this season.
The Brazilian full-back worked with Benitez at Valencia
before they both moved to Anfield. Now he hopes Benitez can
conjure up another tactical masterclass to compare with the
1-0 win at Real Madrid a fortnight ago which put Liverpool
on the brink of reaching the Champions League
quarter-finals.
Aurelio said: "Rafa has the knack of winning these games. I
have worked with him here and in Valencia and he knows a lot
about the strengths and weaknesses of any team.
"He will have been planning for this game for many days, so
that when we arrive for the match we will know exactly what
our jobs will be.
"And we will know how we can hurt the opposition. He is one
of the best managers around in this competition.
"He has got to the final twice, and seems always to be in
the last stages. That shows how good he is at planning for
such big games."
(PA Sport)
Reds trio race to face Real
Fernando Torres, Alvaro Arbeloa and Daniel Agger face a make
or break 24 hours as they bid to prove their fitness for
tomorrow’s clash with Real Madrid.
But Yossi Benayoun is almost certainly out having suffered a
hamstring strain in training. He was today undergoing a scan
to discover the extent of the damage.
Rafa Benitez has not yet ruled Benayoun out but he admits it
will be difficult for the midfielder to be involved as
Liverpool look to protect their 1-0 first leg lead.
“It does not look a bad injury but it will be difficult for
Yossi to play in this game because it is so soon,” Benitez
said today.
(Liverpool Echo)
Angry Voronin rules
out Liverpool return
Andrey Voronin has insisted that he wants his future
resolved by the end of the month – and has ruled out a
return to Liverpool.
Voronin is currently on loan at Hertha Berlin and has
enjoyed a hugely successful season after a disappointing
time at Anfield, scoring a hat-trick against Energie Cottbus
on Saturday to send the team to the top of the Bundesliga.
Hertha general manager Dieter Hoeness has confirmed the club
are eager to sign him on a permanent deal, but admitted they
may fail to raise the funds needed.
“We want to keep him,” he said. “I hope that we can find a
solution.
"Of course, there is a risk that clubs with greater
resources will now come in for him. The timescale is a
problem.”
And Voronin has insisted he will consider other options if
Hertha fail to act within the next three weeks.
"I want a decision by the end of March,” he said in Bild.
“There have been a lot of enquiries from other clubs. If it
takes too long to sort something out with Hertha, I’m going
to talk to other clubs.”
There had been talk about the Ukraine striker going back to
Liverpool following the departure of Robbie Keane, but he
does not appear keen to return.
“I’m not interested in whether they’ve noticed how I’ve been
playing,”
he said.
“I score goals for Hertha – not for the English side.
“I don’t give a damn what they think of me back on the
island.”
(Setanta Sports)
We'll derail Rafa's Reds, roars Raul
Raul remains confident Real Madrid can overcome their defeat
at the Bernabeu and knock Liverpool out of the Champions
League at Anfield.
"We have a clear idea of what we have to do - score twice,"
Raul said in The Times. "The other day we were hit strongly
by the defeat, but we know we are going to have our chances
and we are not going to give up."
(TEAMtalk)
Fitness test for Torres
but Benayoun out
Fernando Torres faces a make-or-break fitness test today for
the match that will define the remainder of Liverpool’s
season.
But Bernabeu match-winner Yossi Benayoun has handed a fresh
injury headache to Anfield manager Rafael Benitez.
Torres has been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury
that forced him off during the 1-0 win over Real Madrid in
their Champions League first knockout round first leg a
fortnight ago.
Both the player and his manager expressed their confidence
last week that the striker, who has undergone an intense
rehabilitation programme, will line up against Real in
tomorrow night’s Anfield return match.
But Benitez will only make a decision later today after
putting Torres through his paces at Liverpool’s Melwood
training ground.
The situation is similar to that of Steven Gerrard before
the first leg in Madrid, with the skipper eventually only
fit enough to appear for the closing moments of Liverpool’s
win.
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Real name squad
for Reds showdown
Real Madrid have named a squad of 20 as they bid to overturn
a 1-0 first-leg deficit in their Champions League last-16
tie against Liverpool.
Pepe and Wesley Sneijder, who did not feature in Saturday's
draw against city rivals Atletico Madrid because of
suspension, return to the squad for Tuesday's Anfield clash,
as do Miguel Torres and Javier Saviola.
Fernando Gago has also been included after recovering from
an ankle sprain.
Coach Juande Ramos has omitted Michel Salgado and Royston
Drenthe from his squad, while he has also opted to leave
youngsters Javi Garcia and Dani Parejo in Madrid.
Klaas Jan Huntelaar is ineligible to play in the Champions
League as Madrid were only able to register one of their two
winter signings who had already played in Europe this
season, and the former Ajax man missed out in favour of
ex-Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra.
(TEAMtalk) |
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SUNDAY 8 |
Benayoun out for two weeks?
Yossi Benayoun will reportedly miss Liverpool's clash with
Real Madrid due to a hamstring tear that will rule the
Israeli captain out of action for the next fortnight.
The midfielder collided with a teammate in training and
limped off the pitch at Melwood this weekend. The injury
will see him sidelined for Israel's World Cup qualifier with
Greece later this month.
Benayoun is the third Reds player to suffer from the injury
this term. Captain Steven Gerrard spent a month out with a
similar problem last month whilst Fernando Torres' season
has been dogged by hamstring problems.
Liverpool are yet to comment on the reports.
(Shanklygates)
Potential Reds
takeover hits snag
A possible takeover of Liverpool led by the wealthy
Al-Kharafi family has hit problems after a difference of
opinions amongst the Kuwaitis.
Differences have appeared among the original consortium and
one of the members, the Al-Sager family, say they will now
continue with talks separately about buying by a percentage
of Liverpool.
The latest development will cause some uncertainty for
Liverpool's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett,
who had hoped that Nasser Al-Kharafi - ranked the 52nd
richest person in the world - would bankroll a takeover.
Hopes now appear to rest with the Al-Sagers putting together
a new consortium of investors.
(TEAMtalk)
Cannavaro: Real cannot fail
Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro has urged his
team-mates to focus on Tuesday night's crucial Champions
League trip to Anfield.
Real went into Saturday's derby clash with Atletico Madrid
at the Bernabeu on the back of a 10-match winning streak in
La Liga, during which time they had cut Barca's lead at the
summit from 12 points
to just four.
It was a disjointed display by Real, who were without the
suspended Pepe and Wesley Sneijder while key striker Gonzalo
Higuain started the game on the bench, and Cannavaro knows
they can ill afford a repeat at Anfield, when they try to
overturn a 1-0 deficit against Liverpool.
"We have to get our form back quickly because on Tuesday we
cannot fail. We have to play as a team and quickly forget
this game. It's time to start talking about Liverpool," said
the Italian World Cup winner.
(TEAMtalk)
Ramos shows no
class in Liverpool moan
Juande Ramos has taunted Liverpool ahead of Real Madrid’s
visit to Anfield, accusing The Reds of ‘not playing
football’.
The former Tottenham boss left El Santiago Bernabeu
frustrated by what he describes as an ‘undeserved victory’,
even mocking the style of Liverpool’s goal.
“Liverpool came to the Bernabeu not to play football but to
get a 0-0 draw,” Ramos was quoted as saying in The People.
“On top of that they scored from a set play and went away
with an undeserved victory.
“They will play the same way at Anfield, but if we score
then we will have a real chance of going through.”
(Setanta Sports)
Rafa expects Ngog to shine
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has backed teenage striker
David Ngog to be a success at Anfield for years to come.
The 19-year-old marked his first league start for the club
since joining from PSG last summer with a goal in Tuesday's
2-0 win at home to Sunderland.
"I am really pleased because he is training very well,
working really hard and showing his quality," Benitez told
the club's official website.
"To see him playing in this game and scoring his first
league goal is good for him and good for the team.
"All the players, especially the strikers, need to play well
and score goals for the confidence, so I think the goal will
be important for his future.
"He showed the fans that he can do really good things.
"He worked very hard and did good things in attack, good
passes and tricks. I'm very pleased for him.
"The first year in the Premier League is always difficult,
but even more so for a young player coming from France
because it is more physical here.
"But he's learning and improving every day. He has got the
potential to be a very good player for us.
"If he keeps working and improving as he is now, he can be
an important player for Liverpool."
(Sky Sports)
Real draw
Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Athletico yesterday.
Tuesday's Champions League opponents drew 1-1 in their local
derby against Athletico Madrid yesterday. Huntelaar, who is
cup-tied for the European game, scored Real's goal. The draw
brought to an end Real's run of ten straight league wins.
(LFC Online) |
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SATURDAY 7 |
Voronin hat-trick
puts Hertha four clear
Hertha Berlin opened up a four-point lead at the top of the
Bundesliga table as on-loan Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin
scored a hat-trick to earn them a 3-1 victory at strugglers
Energie Cottbus.
The visitors found themselves a goal down after 21 minutes
when Cagdas Atan fired home a free-kick, but Voronin
levelled matters 13 minutes later before adding further
goals in the 45th and 88th minutes to seal
the points.
The win gives Hertha breathing space over a group of four
clubs locked on 42 points. Defending champions Bayern Munich
bounced back from their midweek German Cup defeat with a 5-1
rout of Hannover -- a result that moved them up three places
in the table.
(CNN - Sport)
Fabio Aurelio:
Liverpool FC aren't
scared of Real Madrid
Liverpool will be bidding to reach the Champions League last
eight for the fourth time in five years next week with
Brazilian full-back Fabio Aurelio insisting that not even
Real Madrid scare them.
Aurelio said: “If you look at the last few Champions League
campaigns, Liverpool have been in the last four
consistently.
“And we have reached two finals in recent seasons. Where
were Madrid?
“They are a great club with great history in Europe, but
Liverpool are also famous in the competition.”
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Reds boss Rafa
ready for huge week
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez admits the next week will
be 'very crucial' in determining the success of the Reds'
season.
Liverpool face Real Madrid in the second leg of their last
16 UEFA Champions League tie on Tuesday before heading to
Premier League leaders Manchester United next Saturday.
"For sure this week will be very important. You can talk
about crucial games in the season, but these two important
games this week it could make a very big difference."
(TEAMtalk)
Thor Zakariassen
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