"2 More Wins To Secure 3rd Place"

Reds To Stay Focus In League

Despite Liverpool strolling into this season's UEFA Champions League semi-final and booking another meeting with fellow English giants, Chelsea, Reds boss, Rafa Benitez, has reiterated the importance of finishing third and sealing the place for next season's Champions League.

Rafa clearly doesn't want the Reds to miss out on the lucrative league and perhaps, the nightmare of the 04/05 season still haunts him. Then, despite finishing outside the top 4 in the domestic league, the sole saving grace was winning the Champions League and Benitez and his men are clearly not banking on winning the European Cup to seal a place next season.

And it is important to stay focus on the task ahead and not get carried away. Today's visit to the City of Manchester stadium is certainly no high profile game but by claiming all 3 points today might be a huge step towards sealing that place next season.

With the Hillsbrough anniversary looming, it's also a big weekend for the team as they look to step away from the past and into the future. Under the careful guidance of Rafa Benitez, Liverpool has the regular habit of starting slow and finishing strong. With 2 hard fought victories back to back, they'll be expecting yet another tough game ahead of them tonight.

With the blue half of Manchester ensuring safety at this point in time as well, they will do whatever they can to muster as much points as possible. After a proclaimed 'catastrophe in the making' few weeks back, their results have improved vastly and look very likely to survive any sort of scare this season.

Their 3-1 demolition of Fulham at Craven Cottage last week cost Chris Coleman his job and the Citizens will surely want to build on that win. But they'll have to do without star defender, Micah Richards while Craig Bellamy will miss the trip after being stretched off in the game against PSV on Thursday.

After being rested in midweek, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher will be unleashed and raring to go. After scoring 5 goals in 4 games, in-form Peter Crouch will start and is likely to partner Dirk Kuyt, who was suspended on Wednesday. He might even dedicate a goal to his new born baby, who was delivered on Wednesday.


A point of note, Robbie Fowler might come on for a cameo appearance against his former club while the flags at the COM Stadium will be flown at half mast in respect of all who perished at the Hillsbrough disaster. YNWA.

Drogballs' Prediction: Man C 0-2 Liverpool. Kuyt and Crouch to get the goals.

Possible Line up: Reina, Riise, Agger, Carragher, Finnan, Gonzalez, Gerrard, Alonso, Pennant, Crouch, Kuyt;