Returning Javier Mascherano Set To Miss Liege Clash

Javier Mascherano is unlikely to be involved in Liverpool’s Champions League crunch tie against Standard Liege on Wednesday.

Mascherano led Argentina to a second consecutive Olympic title in Beijing after his country retained their crown by beating Nigeria in the football final and he is heading back to Merseyside after his triumph.

The 24-year-old midfielder was due to leave China at the weekend, but boss Rafael Benitez does not think he will be prepared enough to face the Belgian champions at Anfield in the third qualifying round, second-leg tie.

The match is poised at 0-0 after Liverpool’s alarmingly poor performance a fortnight ago in the first leg in Belgium.

The Reds stand on the brink of losing a minimum of £10million prize money from UEFA if they fail to qualify for the group stages.

Benitez said: “Javier will be back with us soon. But I do not think he will be in contention to play in Europe.

“He has spent too much time travelling and playing, which makes it difficult to be at your best.

“The same thing applied to Ryan Babel. He returned from China last week after Holland were knocked out, but I only really considered him as a substitute at the weekend.”

Babel came on for the final 25 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Middlesbrough, but looked short of fitness.

Brazilian midfielder Lucas has also returned to Liverpool from the Olympics.

Liverpool Boss Benitez: Nabil El Zhar Was A Key Player Against Middlesbrough

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has acknowledged the impact made by youngster Nabil El Zhar in the weekend’s last-gasp 2-1 win over Middlesbrough at Anfield.

The 21-year-old came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute when the Reds were trailing by a goal. The home side soon wiped out the deficit before the Moroccan international winger played an important role in the build-up to captain Steven Gerrard’s late winner.

Benitez said on the club’s official website: "That is the reason why Nabil was a key player for us at the weekend. I was saying to him 'stay wide, stay wide' and he offered the wide areas.

"Andrea Dossena was going forward in the first half and Alvaro Arbeloa in the second half but really our wingers are not players who play on the lines. We have to try through our full-backs and keep the other team back."

Carra: Liege Is The Toughest Tie

Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher has admitted that Standard Liege is one of the most difficult draws the club could have faced in Champions League qualifying.

Liege, the Belgian champions, held Rafael Benitez’s side to a 0-0 draw in the first leg and with the two sides scheduled to play the return match on Wednesday night at Anfield, Carragher has admitted the Merseysiders are in for a tough night.

Speaking to the News of the World, Carragher revealed that he felt being drawn against the Belgian side was one of the most difficult ties the club has ever faced in qualifying for the competition proper. He said: “They are definitely the toughest opponents we’ve had in a qualifier.”

Whilst a scoreless draw was disappointing for the Reds, it could have been a lot worse. Goalkeeper Pepe Reina saved a first half penalty which prevented Liege taking a vital lead in the tie.

However, the veteran centre back admitted that Liveropol were facing quality opposition. He said: “I know people expect us to get through but it’s not as if we’re playing a Mickey Mouse team. The Belgian league has a lot of quality and their champions are used to getting into the group stages.”

Despite Carragher’s remarks, Liverpool are widely expected to beat Liege and qualify for the group stages of the competition and the scoreless draw in the first leg was something of a surprise. The defender explained what had happened: “They caught us a bit cold in the first leg. Their manager said we were sleeping but they deserve credit for the way they played. They were spot on tactically, hitting us on the counter-attack. We didn’t play well and we know we’ll have to improve tactically.”

The former England defender also went on to praise Wednesday night’s opponents for their defensive display, which ensured that the Anfield side had few sights of goal. He confessed: “Any side which can keep Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane as quiet as they did in the first leg has quality. We didn’t have any chances in the game.”

Yet whilst Carragher is happy to praise Liege, he is clearly confident ahead of the second leg and admitted that it is vital that Liverpool win on Wednesday night to progress into the competition. He concluded: “It would be unthinkable for us not to be in the Champions League. To go through will give us momentum and confidence.”

Gerrard Close To Full Fitness

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has recognised that he is not yet at full fitness, but considers himself to be a mere three weeks away from his best.

The energetic midfielder is the hero’s name being sung in the Kop yet again, after he snatched a dramatic late winner against Middlesbrough at Anfield yesterday.

Liverpool looked unlikely winners against a very well organised Boro side, after Egyptian striker Mido put the visitors ahead on 70 minutes. This goal was cancelled out by Jamie Carragher, whose shot cannoned off Boro defender Emmanuel Pogatetz, to send the home fans into raptures.

The home side weren’t finished there however, as deep into injury time, the ball fell to Gerrard’s famous right foot on the edge of the box, and as so many times before, the heartbeat of the Liverpool side snatched all three points for his team.

Speaking to Football365, Gerrard said, “You could tell how much our winner meant to the fans, the roof came off when my goal went in.

“Everyone knows that these are the games we have to win if we are going to mount a serious title challenge. Too many home points were squandered last season.”

Liverpool’s home form was heavily criticised last season, as The Reds dropped a massive 15 points at Anfield, ending hopes of a serious title challenge, a point backed up by Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.

“Maybe our fans were thinking of what happened last season, when we drew too many games at home.

“But this time we have sent out a message that we can produce results like this.

“Last season we had some bad home results. But this time around we have tried very hard to be positive and to make sure such things do not happen again. This win shows we can do it.”

Despite showing he has what it takes to last the full 90 and more, Gerrard is still admitting that he is not yet at full fitness, but has said that it can be achieved sooner rather than later.

“I've had problems with my groin throughout pre-season, and things have not gone the way I wanted them to,” he said.

“I have missed a lot of training and I am a couple of weeks behind the other lads when it comes to match fitness.

“The only way I am going to get that edge again is to get out on the pitch and play.

“I am not at my best at the moment, but I hope the fans will be patient because I am only three weeks away from my best form and fitness.”

The Reds now sit at the top of the Premier League table for the moment, and they will continue their quest for a first Premier League trophy against Aston Villa next Sunday.

Gerrard: Reds Sent Out Message

Steven Gerrard feels Liverpool's 2-1 win at Middlesbrough was a sure sign that they are now ready to challenge for the Premier League.

Four minutes into injury-time, Gerrard's blistering 18-yarder secured a victory that had been the unlikeliest outcome as Middlesbrough deservedly led from midway in the second period.

Last season Liverpool finished 11 points behind champions Manchester United, who dropped only five home points. Rafael Benitez's side squandered 15 at home from six draws and one defeat.

It has been a blot on the Anfield landscape which has nagged away at the manager, players and fans all summer.

Benitez has persistently claimed that Liverpool's shocking home form last season cost them any hope of a serious title challenge.

So it needed the massive efforts of Gerrard, and his home-grown team-mate Jamie Carragher, whose 86th-minute shot deflected in off Boro defender Emanuel Pogatetz, to drag a 2-1 victory from the jaws of defeat.

Gerrard said: "You could tell how much our winner meant to the fans, the roof came off when my goal went in.

"Everyone knows that these are the games we have to win if we are going to mount a serious title challenge. Too many home points were squandered last season."

In a week which has seen 'peace in our time' statements from both Benitez and chief executive Rick Parry after a summer of acrimony between the pair, it was good to see Benitez and his captain also singing from the same hymn sheet as well.

Benitez said: "Maybe our fans were thinking of what happened last season, when we drew too many games at home.

"But this time we have sent out a message that we can produce results like this.

"Last season we had some bad home results. But this time around we have tried very hard to be positive and to make sure such things do not happen again. This win shows we can do it."

Gareth Southgate's organised, effective side had deservedly led with 20 minutes to go through a fine drive from substitute Mido.

But Carragher's deflected drive beat goalkeeper Ross Turnbull - a last minute inclusion when Brad Jones dislocated a finger in the warm-up - then Gerrard got the winner.

In a week where England manager Fabio Capello criticised Gerrard's lack of fitness, the player said: "I've had problems with my groin throughout pre-season, and things have not gone the way I wanted them to.

"I have missed a lot of training and I am a couple of weeks behind the other lads when it comes to match fitness.

"The only way I am going to get that edge again is to get out on the pitch and play.

"I am not at my best at the moment, but I hope the fans will be patient because I am only three weeks away from my best form and fitness."

Benitez explained: "Gerrard has quality, he can score the sort of goal he got. He has that ability right at the death, he has done it before and he will continue to have the mentality to win games at the end.

"We sent a lot of players forward, the idea was to have many people around their box. It does leave us open to a counter-attack, but it is a gamble we will take.

"We know we did not play well. But you have to win games like this if you want to be contenders for the title. It is a message for everyone for the rest of the season.

"Last season we would probably have lost or drawn. But now we have different qualities and we have many options.

Pennant Desperate For Anfield Stay

Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has admitted he is eager to stay at Anfield despite reports linking him with a move away from the club.

Manager Rafael Benitez has reportedly been told he needs to raise funds in order to sign new players and Pennant had been one of those players rumoured to be expendable after being unable to cement a place in the first team.

Despite signing for the Reds back in 2006 for a fee thought to be in the region of £7 million, Pennant has failed to become a regular at Anfield and only managed 18 league starts and 2 goals for the club last season.

Recent reports have linked Blackburn Rovers with a move for the winger, with manager Paul Ince reportedly an admirer of Pennant. However, the former Arsenal and Birmingham City player has revealed he is not interested in leaving and wants to stay at Anfield.

Speaking to The People, Pennant who has yet to feature in either of Liverpool’s two league games this season, confirmed: “I want to stay at Liverpool.”

The winger then went on to explain why he is keen to stay on Merseysider rather than move to a club that could offer him regular first team football. He said: “I have been given a fantastic opportunity to play for the team I supported as a kid and all I want to do is work hard and fight for my place in the team.”

Yet with Liverpool manager Benitez having been linked with a move for a number of midfielders over the summer including Gareth Barry, Albert Riera and Stewart Downing, Pennant may find first team football even tougher to come by this season.