PSV Vs Liverpool

Roger Hunt wrote:In a weird way I don't like going into the tie as favourites. Last time we were favourites in the knockout stage was v Benfica last year

Also PSV are obviously going to be happy to park the bus which will make for a very frustrating match.

not forgetting West Ham in the cup final.

Koeman has gone on record saying he wants a 0-0 and would be delighted with 1-0. With Alex out and this in mind I would hapily predict a repeat of Saturday's scoreline.

Tweeds - no one ever knows what Rafa will do, Bellamy is 50/50 and Sissoko is suspended.

Tweedle wrote:I can see this being an incredibly dull game to be fair, I may watch the Milan V bayern game.

Any idea on the Pool lineup?

No Tweedle, you have to watch, all Arsenal fans should watch actually, I like to think of this game as 'let's show Arsenal how it's done'

I've already said my expected line up in this thread.

Luis wrote:

Tweedle wrote:I can see this being an incredibly dull game to be fair, I may watch the Milan V bayern game.

Any idea on the Pool lineup?

No Tweedle, you have to watch, all Arsenal fans should watch actually, I like to think of this game as 'let's show Arsenal how it's done'

I've already said my expected line up in this thread.

You do like setting yourself up don't you

Nah, I don't do set ups, they always turn out bad, prefer the birds to come to me if anything

Rafael Benitez could hand the player Diego Maradona describes as 'a monster' his Champions League debut in Eindhoven this evening.
With Momo Sissoko suspended for the first leg of the quarter-final clash in Holland, Javier Mascherano is likely to be given the chance to build on an excellent performance against Arsenal at the weekend.

It was three years ago when Argentinian legend Maradona hailed Mascherano as the greatest young player in the game and Benitez believes his young midfielder can still only get better.

"When we signed Mascherano, I said he was a winner, a player with a good mentality," says the Liverpool manager.

"He has 20 caps with Argentina and is only 22-years-old, and that means a lot. When you think about the same figures in England, not a lot of players have 20 caps at his age, and Argentina is a fantastic national team.

"He has experience and character, he wanted to play and wanted to show people he was good enough to play in England, and that was a key to us.

"I think on Saturday people could see that he is a very good player. He was training really well during the week and I was sure he would play well.

"He can settle things down and he can keep the possession, is always in a good position, and when the team play well with the wingers and the holding midfielders play well, then the strikers can score goals.

"We knew when we were trying to bring Mascherano here that we needed another holding midfielder just in case Xabi couldn't play. Against Arsenal, we could play with both and we gave freedom to the wingers and to Gerrard in front of the two midfielders, and it was a solution.

"Against Arsenal he had some problems near the end, and it's not easy if you haven't played a lot of games. He will be okay for the rest of the season.

"Maybe not 100% fit, but he might be if we play at the end in the Champions League final!"

Luis wrote:Nah, I don't do set ups, they always turn out bad, prefer the birds to come to me if anything

????

Anyway good luck

cheers, you too in deciding what you watch

Luis wrote:cheers, you too in deciding what you watch

I'm sure it'll be Milan v Bayern to be honest

before it was may? now it's sure? why a sudden change of heart?

Luis wrote:before it was may? now it's sure? why a sudden change of heart?

You put me off.

I would have an interest in the game if I kind of wanted Pool to win it, but every time you open your mouth you make me want them to win less and less and now I hoenstly couldn't care if you crash and burn to be honest

Brilliant

You should feel so proud luis

i'm not proud, i'm amused

Well if you acted with a bit more dignity you'd have had someone to sympathise with/celebrate with but now you're just going to have me rubbing it in your face if you lose

Darn it

Masscherano, WTF ?

How can Liverpool be allowed to field a player that's at his third club in one season, when PSV can't play 16-year old Zeefuik ?!

He played UEFA cup football as well.

Err... because Javi hasn't played in the CL this season?!

Why can't you play Zeefuik?

Roger Hunt wrote:Err... because Javi hasn't played in the CL this season?!

Why can't you play Zeefuik?

Not being specifically CL registered.

Doh, as if you'd expect that you would need a 16-year old youth player

Axeslammer wrote:

Roger Hunt wrote:Err... because Javi hasn't played in the CL this season?!

Why can't you play Zeefuik?

Not being specifically CL registered.

Doh, as if you'd expect that you would need a 16-year old youth player

I am guessing that the rule was that all players for the next round to be registered by a particular date. That way anyone bought in the january transfer window could play unless of course cup-tied.

Bad management by PSV not to anticipate the possibility. Should have registered him anyway if you didn't have more than 2 or 3 strikers, just in case.

Rules have changed. In the knockout stages you are allowed to register 1 player who has played in UEFA Cup already.

Was gonna be Luca$ Neill, but we'll settle for JM

On RAWK they all seem to reckon Bellamy and Kuyt will start up front, would be very surprising if Crouch was left out, also another point if Crouch doesn't play then can we assume Pennant wont?

110% wrote:

Bad management by PSV not to anticipate the possibility. Should have registered him anyway if you didn't have more than 2 or 3 strikers, just in case.

Depends on what the rules are : is there a limit to how many players you can register ? Do you have to pay extra for each player that you register ?

I'd like to know how that works before I make accusations of bad management.

Doesn't change the fact that it seems stupid that there are rules that make it impossible to play a youth player. Why on Earth would you want to forbid something like that ?

......................reina

finnan........carra.......agger....auerlio

gerrard....masch.......xabi.......riise

...............kuyt.......bellamy

still think it'll be this luis. The idea being kuyt and bellamy are better for a counter attacking set up and will hassle the defenders better. he'll keep the midfield tight and hope kuyt and bellamy can stretch them or gerrard produce a bit of magic.

playing pennant, gonzalez, crouch opens the team up a bit more so he'll not risk this until late in the game

COTR wrote:

......................reina

finnan........carra.......agger....auerlio

gerrard....masch.......xabi.......riise

...............kuyt.......bellamy

still think it'll be this luis. The idea being kuyt and bellamy are better for a counter attacking set up and will hassle the defenders better. he'll keep the midfield tight and hope kuyt and bellamy can stretch them or gerrard produce a bit of magic.

playing pennant, gonzalez, crouch opens the team up a bit more so he'll not risk this until late in the game

He could play Pennant on the right and Gerrard just behind Kuyt,

could do but probably won't. he has been playing 2 up front for basically the entire season bar saturday

I'd be happy with gerrard left and pennant right but can't see it happening. not sure if rafa trusts him yet.


but for all we know diao could make a comeback. rafa is impossible to predict

Ye, Unpredictable is an understatement with Benitez.

I'm not too worried

Are Liverpool fans pretty confident of getting a win today?

Batman wrote:Are Liverpool fans pretty confident of getting a win today?

Ye, a hell of a lot more confident than against Barca anyway, It wont be easy though, they'll play very defensive and rightly so

Batman wrote:Are Liverpool fans pretty confident of getting a win today?

im confident we won't lose but anything can happen in football. if they score another 30 yard goal out of nothing and defend well like arsenal then of course it won't be easy.

if we were at home first i would actually be much more confident about this one. we are a better team but if they get something to cling onto our strikers are not exactly clinical as koeman found out last year