Liverpool face a tough-looking fixture with Hull City, managed by old foe Steve Bruce, this Saturday afternoon as The Reds look for a third consecutive Premier League victory.
Despite rising to fifth in the standings – out of the top four only on goal difference – Liverpool continue to struggle to find anything remotely like their top form.
Hard-fought triumphs over West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers were compiled despite continuing defensive deficiencies, which were subsequently exposed in ruthless fashion by Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
They have issues at the other end of the field too with £16m striker Mario Balotelli marred by controversy as well as registering just one goal in his ten appearances to date.
The visitors, who currently sit 11th in the standings – just three points behind the Merseysiders, head to L4 in good form and were just a minute away from earning three points against Arsenal at The Emirates last weekend.
Vital Quotes:
Kop boss Brendan Rodgers: “There hasn’t been a corner with a clever move that has beaten us – it’s been a simple ball into the box and we haven’t defended it through either the first contact or by letting people come across us.
“We need to reinforce key principles in that organisation and then it’s you as a player on the field showing that competitive spirit. The great competitors don’t get done so easily in those situations and that’s something we need to improve upon.
“The goals in those moments were soft and we have to be better, so it’s something we have to work on.”
Hull defender Curtis Davies: “Whenever good teams go through bad times, there’s always a backlash. We don’t want to be the team that gets them back on track. That’s what you need to be wary of.
“The onus will be on Liverpool. They’ve not started the season as well as they wanted to so we have to go there and try to stay solid.
“If we can take our chances, like we did at Arsenal (in a 2-2 draw), we’ll cause Liverpool problems.”
Liverpool Team News:
Recalling £17m centre-back Mamadou Sakho to help shore up the rearguard may have to wait a little while longer as the Frenchman continues to battle a thigh problem, although Kolo Toure remains an option. With the Reds amidst a run of seven games in 21 days, there could be some rotation in the offing from Rodgers. Most likely to benefit are Javier Manquillo and Lazar Markovic, while Adam Lallana is almost certain to return to the starting eleven after coming on as a half-time substitute against Real. Up front, Balotelli could be taken out of the firing-line and, in the continuing absence of Daniel Sturridge, Rickie Lambert handed a rare start. Alternatively, as he did in the second half midweek, Rodgers might opt to play Raheem Sterling in an unfamiliar striking role. Youngsters Suso (groin) and Jon Flanagan (knee) are out until December.
Possible Line-up
Mignolet, Manquillo, Toure, Skrtel, Moreno, Can, Gerrard (c), Henderson, Lallana, Markovic, Sterling.
Player to watch: Raheem Sterling
At present, if Sterling doesn’t play well then Liverpool don’t play well. Despite dealing with the fall-out of his admittance of tiredness whilst with England, the winger has continued to be one of the few bright spots in recent weeks. The 19-year-old is the club’s joint top scorer with three goals and he has created 21 chances for others at a rate of around three per game. A decent shot accuracy of 64%, coupled with his pace and movement, suggests Sterling could be effective in a striking role if Rodgers opts to play him there once more.
Hull City Team News:
Hull’s impressive display against The Gunners has come at a cost with three probable starters at Anfield now unavailable for at least a month. Injury to veteran goalie Steve Harper (bicep) is perhaps the most crucial with first-choice Allan McGregor (shoulder) already sidelined. Their absence will hand Eldin Jakupovic, who has just 132 minutes of Premier League experience, the gloves and also mean either Rory Watson or Joe Cracknell, two teenage academy graduates, will be drafted in for a place on the bench. In front of Jakupovic, Alex Bruce or Paul McShane will be needed to replace summer signing Michael Dawson, who suffered an ankle injury, if Bruce senior continues to play three at the back. Former Everton striker Nikica Jelavic didn’t even see the kick-off at Arsenal after suffering knee ligament damage during the warm-up. £10m summer signing Abel Hernandez, who replaced the Croat and scored last Saturday, will continue to deputise with support coming from either Hatem Ben Arfa or Gaston Ramirez. Robert Snodgrass is Hull’s only other known absentee with a long-term knee injury, while left-back Maynor Figueroa has rejoined Wigan Athletic on loan. One-time Liverpool youth team player Tom Ince is in the Tigers squad.
Possible Line-up
Jakupovic, Chester, Davies, Bruce, Elmohamady, Robertson, Livermore, Diame, Huddlestone, Ramirez, Hernandez.
Player to watch: Mohamed Diame
The powerful midfielder has been a revelation at the KC since arriving from West Ham United for a knock-down fee of around £4m on Deadline Day. Four goals in five games, in addition to some all-action displays, have left a number of clubs, presumably including Liverpool, kicking themselves for not pursuing the Senegalese international harder. Given Liverpool’s weak core, the 27-year-old could have a field day bursting from deep and getting on the end of set-piece deliveries.
Match Facts & Stats
? Liverpool and Hull have met just 15 times in their respective histories and the Reds hold the upper hand overall with 11 wins to 1 and 3 draws. Liverpool have scored a total of 41 goals compared to a tally of 19 by the Tigers.
? Hull’s 3-1 win at the KC last season is their only ever victory over Liverpool so they are yet to savour three points at Anfield.
? The Reds have scored 24 goals in their seven home meetings with The Tigers.
? Liverpool have kept just one clean sheet in their last 14 league games (the 3-0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur on August 21) and have conceded 19 goals in 12 matches in all competitions so far this season.
? In addition to struggling to defend opposition corners, Rodgers men are yet to score from one themselves.
? Both sides have scored 13 league goals this season.
? Balotelli has scored just one goal in his last 22 appearances in the Premier League.
? Hull, along with Chelsea, are one of only two clubs without an English goalscorer in the top flight this season.
Ref Watch:
Neil Swarbrick is the official appointed to oversee this contest. The Lancashire-based whistle blower has taken charge of 6 games so far this season, showing 33 yellow cards and one red. This will be the first time the 48-year-old has officiated a game involving Liverpool this term. Swarbrick has been a part of the Select Group of Referees who oversee Premier League fixtures since 2011.
Match Prediction:
This looks like an incredibly challenging afternoon for Rodgers and his players. Hull are obviously not in the class of Real but they do possess a number of very good players who can conceivably heap further misery on the Merseysiders this weekend. The encounter also represents Liverpool’s third game in six days as Rodgers’ task of finding the right balance faces an additional consideration. After spending over £100m in the summer on nine notable names, the time could be here for the much-vaunted ‘improved squad depth’ to come to the fore and prove its worth. Bruce has a number of injuries to contend with but they too now have a number of high-calibre backup options to call upon so it is unlikely to be the decisive factor it might have been in seasons gone by. I’m nervous to be honest and can see Hull getting something from the match.
Vital Liverpool predicts a 2-2 draw
Next Fixtures:
Liverpool – Capital One Cup vs. Swansea City at Anfield on Tuesday 28th October 2014, kick off 8.00pm GMT.
Hull City – Premier League vs. Southampton at the KC Stadium on Saturday 1st November 2014, kick off 3.00pm GMT.
So that’s what we think, how about you? Let us know your thoughts and predictions for the game below or vote in our poll to the right…
Click here to read former Red Mark Lawrenson’s prediction
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