Liverpool enter into their ‘game in hand’ against Sunderland this evening on the back of the side’s best run in years. Two defeats in the last seventeen league games, both of which came away to the two sides currently above Brendan Rodger’s side (and in controversial circumstances) and with six wins on the bounce, the Reds will be going into the game tonight full of confidence.
On the other hand, Sunderland enter Anfield on the back of a winless run in the league that stretches back to a 3-nil victory over neighbours Newcastle at the beginning of February. A defeat to relegation rivals Norwich at the weekend has further deepened Gus Poyet’s plight and a visit to Anfield, where Liverpool have lost only once all season, is not something that Poyet will be relishing, particularly as one of the few bright spots he’s had this season – Fabio Borini – is not able to play against his parent club.
This is a game that has, in the past, had ‘banana skin’ written all over it – a game in which Liverpool , needing a result, have slipped up and let themselves down. However, the same was said prior to the Cardiff game on Saturday and while being 2:1 down mid-way through the first half seemed to spell doom and gloom for Rodger’s side, the fight and resolve he’s instilled in this Liverpool team shone through and produced a 6:3 win.
But Liverpool won’t be the only ones to come out fighting, as Gus Poyet has already set his stall out by saying this morning that he believes Liverpool are – effectively – a one-man team. Poyet told El Observador “It’s not about how they play, it’s about having a player who is going to be voted the best player of the year by everybody.
“Without Suarez, they would probably be in mid-table.”
Suarez’s fellow Uruguayan’s claims are nothing new, with Rodger’s side having been labelled such in the past but, as Solskjaer found out on Saturday, stoking those kinds of fires does not usually end well for opposition managers.
With strike partner Daniel Sturridge chasing Suarez for the Golden Boot this season and team-mates Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho and even Martin Skrtel all weighing in with the goals and assists, Poyet’s claims come across as being slightly petty and a little beneath a usually respectable coach.
Liverpool’s first home game in a while should be a barn-stormer, regardless of the opposition manager’s comments, with Rodger’s having an almost full-fit squad to choose from and an Anfield crowd ready to give the team the kind of backing often reserved for big European nights.
Line-up: Mignolet, Flanagan, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Gerrard, Allen, Henderson, Coutinho, Suarez, Sturridge
Match Odds: Liverpool 1/6; Draw 15/2, Sunderland 16/1
