Champions League - Liverpool-Chelsea preview
Published 4/30/2007 8:29:01 AM by staff from espn.com
A place in the Champions League final is Liverpool's for the taking but to claim it they will have to take risks to get past an ailing but stubborn Chelsea on Tuesday. Liverpool were lucky to escape with a 1-0 defeat from a first leg where they seemed so concerned with the tactical requirements of negating the London side that they completely forgot about launching attacks of their own. Now, to reach their second final in three years and earn a shot at a sixth European Cup they must find a way to goal. At Stamford Bridge there was at least some justification for their cautious approach but on home ground, roared on by a full throated Anfield chorus and against a stand-in centre back, it is time to deliver.
Coach Rafael Benitez admitted to being angry with himself and his players after their meek first leg performance and the ultra-calm Spaniard for once lost his temper in the dressing room. 'We didn't play at our level and I was really disappointed but we are going to play at Anfield and it's just 1-0,' he said.
He has had plenty of time to think about his line-up for Tuesday and rested most of his first team for the 2-1 league defeat at Portsmouth on Saturday. With the need to score, probably twice, paramount Benitez might have to take the plunge and start with both Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt up front. Neither Boudewijn Zenden or Craig Bellamy have provided the cutting-edge wide service he demands and though Jermaine Pennant's star seems to be on the rise he too has yet to deliver the sort of performance necessary to win the Champions League.
Benitez knows he will get a driving, inspirational performance from Steven Gerrard and total defensive commitment from Jamie Carragher but the Spaniard must also find accurate service to unsettle John Terry and threaten keeper Petr Cech. Chelsea must pick themselves up mentally from Saturday's hammer blow which, in 30 second-half minutes saw a five-point swing that went Manchester United's way and seems to have ended their hopes of a hat-trick of Premier League titles.
There were clear signs of nerves and frustration as Chelsea allowed Bolton Wanderers to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge, with the added disappointment of an injury to Ricardo Carvalho that rules him out of Tuesday's game. Midfielder Michael Ballack is also out after undergoing ankle surgery as Chelsea's four-pronged trophy assault begins to take its toll just at the wrong time.
'It's always better when you win...physical condition in my opinion is always affected by happiness or sadness,' coach Jose Mourinho said after Saturday's draw.
In the plus column is the return of Michael Essien, suspended for the first leg, although he is likely to start at centre back, and a dangerous-looking bench containing Arjen Robben, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Salomon Kalou, who scored both Chelsea goals on Saturday.
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