LiverpooL Adds A Little "Samba"

Liverpool boss Rafael Benítez has completed his first summer signing through the transfer of Brazilian midfielder Lucas Pezzini Leiva in a deal worth £8million.

The 20-year-old is expected to join up with his new teammates from Brazilian outfit, Gremio at the end of their involvement in the ongoing Copa Libertadores. The Porto Alegre side confirmed their place in the quarter-finals with a victory over Sao Paulo during the week.

Lucas Pezzini Leiva or better known as Lucas, was playing as a holding midfielder for his club and captains the Under-21 national side. In addition, he won the best player award in Campeonato Brasileiro 2006 and was recently called up to the Brazilian national team by Dunga, the Brazilian head coach.

Rafa Thinking Of Fielding Best Side

Ahead of this season’s final match on Sunday, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is pondering on the thoughts of bringing in his first eleven against Charlton Athletic at Anfield.

According to the Spaniard, he could utilize this match to keep his players sharp ahead of the Champions League final on May 23.

However, Malian international Momo Sissoko will almost definitely be left out of the side through injury while first choice keeper, Jose Manuel Reina has yet to assume full training following a knock sustained against Fulham last weekend.

Furthermore, Benitez mentioned that the club will do some final assessment on Reina’s situation in training and then decide if Reina should play for full 90 minutes.

Although the game will not be any significance to the Merseyside club , Benitez’s objective is to finish off the season in third place, ahead of Arsenal who is playing Portsmouth.

Liverpool fury over tickets for CL final

Liverpool recently lodged a complaint to UEFA regarding their ticket allocation for the Champions League final but was informed later that the given number of seats will remain the same.

Earlier on, the Premiership club has been awarded 17,000 seats for the clash with AC Milan at the 63,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Athens on May 23.

As a result, a huge black market for tickets has been emerging with prices in excess of £1,000 being exhibited on some agency websites.

In addition, Liverpool has been receiving continuous criticism from their own fans for their methods of distribution, as most have made early travel arrangements only to be informed they will not qualify for a ticket.

Nevertheless, Liverpool Football Club understands and shares the disappointment of their fans in what is a very uncomfortable condition.

This season, Liverpool has been operating sort of a fancard policy whereby supporters have the opportunity to earn a point for each European game attended this season - or more accurately, ticket bought.

Specifically, those with over seven points qualified while those with less will be entered into a ballot.

Liverpool previously was allocated approximately 20,000 tickets for the final in Istanbul two years ago but it is estimated about 40,000 fans gained access.

Voronin eager to start off with a 'bang'

Upcoming Liverpool player Andriy Voronin is optimistic that he can follow the example of Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and make an impact in the Premiership next season.

The Ukraine World Cup striker will begin a four-year contract at Anfield in the summer after agreeing a free transfer from German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

The 27-year-old has spent most of his professional career in Germany since moving to Borussia Moenchengladbach from hometown club Chornomorets Odessa as an 18-year-old.

After that, Voronin was transferred to Mainz and Cologne before donning the Leverkusen jersey in 2004, where he has scored 11 goals in 27 starts this season.

In addition, the forward believes his experience in the Bundesliga and the Continental influence to Liverpool’s style of football will help him get used to life in the hustle and bustle of the Premiership.

Meanwhile, young Liverpool defender Danny O’Donnell is poised to leave the club once the transfer market reopens in the summer.

The 21-year-old spent the season on loan at Crewe Alexandra, and Liverpool have given the Coca-Cola League One team permission to speak to the player over a permanent move to Gresty Road.

However, Liverpool appears to have missed out on signing potential hotshot James McCarthy after his agent stated that the 16-year-old midfielder will remain at Hamilton Academical.

Liverpool set for place in the sun

Rafael Benitez will take his Liverpool squad to a Spanish training camp ahead of their Champions League final to get them acclimatised.

Liverpool will fly out on Tuesday afternoon, straight after they have taken part in a media open day at Anfield.

Although full details are not certain yet, they are expected to be in Benitez's homeland for five days, returning the next weekend before they then fly to Athens on the following Monday morning ahead of the May 23 clash with AC Milan.

And it is possible that both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher will have signed new contracts before the training trip.

There have been more negotiations this week and it seems that only minor details now need to be ironed out.

Benitez said: "I hope it may be done this week, but we are talking and we are sure it will be done soon."

And Benitez brushed aside fears of potential problems from another training camp, following the incidents that occurred when he took his squad to Portugal ahead of the Champions League victory in Barcelona back in February.

Then Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise were involved in the alleged 'golf club incident' that ended with several players being fined by the club for breaking curfew.

Benitez said: "We still have to finalise the details, but it is likely we will go away for five days to prepare after we play Charlton.

"When we did this before the Barcelona game it had a positive impact, although I know people talked about other things in the end.

"The most positive thing is we can work together in a climate and in conditions which will be more like those we will face in the final."

He added: "I know people will mention that (the Portugal incident) again, but it is not an issue. We are thinking only about doing the right things to prepare the players for the final."

Both goalkeeper Jose Reina and midfielder Mohamed Sissoko are likely to be left out of the final-day clash with relegated Charlton.

Reina has not trained since injuring his shoulder against Fulham last weekend, although a scan has shown there is no serious damage.

But Benitez is unlikely to risk the Spanish international in what is now a meaningless game, although Reina will be fit for the European final.

Jerzy Dudek could be in goal for what will be his final farewell to Anfield before his contract runs out in the summer.

Sissoko has a knee problem from the same game at Craven Cottage and is more of a problem, but he is also expected to recover to be in the squad against Milan.

Benitez has big dilemma

RAFA BENITEZ has some big decisions to make in the next week or so.

Of course, the priority is the make-up of his team for the Champions League final against AC Milan.

But the dilemma for Sunday’s home finale against Charlton is: Does he pick a ‘squad’ team, or does he play some of the stars who will face the Italians, and risk injury?

While the Reds will want to finish third, it’s not the end of the world if they don’t and relegated Charlton will have pride to play for but little else.

In fact, if the truth be known, it’s a fixture Benitez could probably do without, but the manager also has to face the difficult decision of whether he plays skipper Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher for at least part of the game.

Both players missed the defeats at Portsmouth and Fulham. They are absolutely crucial to the outcome of the Athens showdown, so the risks of them playing might outweigh the benefits. But, come May 23, it would mean that the pair had not played a competitive game for three weeks – since the win over Chelsea.

The two recent defeats were disappointing and there is still work to be done to bridge the gap between the Reds and United and Chelsea.

That will be addressed during the summer but, overall, it’s been a more consistent season and Benitez has the complete backing of fans and the owners.

Finalists aim to set records straight

When Liverpool FC and AC Milan meet in the UEFA Champions League final on 23 May, they will have the chance to enter the record books for their respective countries as well as their clubs.

Currently Spain have won Europe's premier competition on eleven occasions, but with England and Italy one victory behind, one of the finalists can ensure that their nation joins Spain as the most successful in the tournament's history. Yet that is just one of the potential landmarks that have been thrown up by this second meeting in three finals of two footballing giants.

Milan's appearance in the final is a record 25th by an Italian team, five more than their nearest rivals Spain. But with only ten wins to date, reaching the showpiece has more often than not led to heartache for the country that holds the FIFA World Cup. The same logic does not, however, apply to the most successful club sides within those nations; Real Madrid CF have triumphed in nine of their 12 finals while Milan have prevailed in six out of ten.

England fall slightly behind their continental peers when it comes to final appearances and victories, though they tend to make bigger waves when they do contest the competition's climax. English teams have participated in 13 finals, eleven less than their Italian counterparts, yet they have the same number of wins. There is no better example of rising to the big occasion than Liverpool, who have lifted the trophy five times in six visits to the final.

Both coaches also know what it takes to prosper in the UEFA Champions League having guided their current sides to the ultimate prize once before. Carlo Ancelotti's men defeated Juventus on penalties in 2003 after a goalless draw, while Rafael Benítez's charges came from three goals down to win on spot-kicks against the Rossoneri two years ago. So with records available to both clubs, countries and managers, history really will be written when Liverpool and Milan renew acquaintances in Athens.

Benítez's men on £100,000 bonus to win European Cup

Liverpool's players stand to receive substantial bonuses amounting to £100,000 per man should they claim the club's sixth European Cup when they play Milan in Athens later this month.

The Merseysiders' new owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, will maintain the policy drawn up by David Moores' previous regime by making around £2.5m available to be split among the playing squad should Liverpool overcome the Rossoneri in Greece and claim their second Champions League in three seasons.

That will equate to around £100,000 a man, with the management staff, and Rafael Benítez in particular, also to benefit from a hefty bonus. Similarly generous financial rewards were offered to the playing squad two years ago when Liverpool overcame the same opposition in Istanbul.

Just as then, the club are simultaneously attempting to agree improved terms to a number of their first-team players - most notably Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher - though the contracts will most likely be finalised only on the team's return from Athens.

Benitez Eyes Gift Of Gaby

REAL ZARAGOZA defender Gaby Milito has pleaded for the chance to join Liverpool after they lined up a £10million player-plus-cash deal involving Mark Gonzalez.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is hoping to make it third time lucky after two previous bids for Argentine centre-half Milito were rejected.

Milito said: "This is my opportunity to join a big club in Europe. Liverpool have a Spanish coach, which is very important for me."

Reds ace's future at Anfield - Benitez

Rafa Benitez has told Xabi Alonso he still has a future at Liverpool despite being on the bench for the Chelsea Champions League clash.

The 26-year-old's omission from the starting XI for last week's semi-final second leg win at Anfield has seen more rumours surface about his future with the likes of Barcelona having shown an interest in taking the Spanish international back to his homeland this summer.

However, despite Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard securing the central midfield places, Benitez insists Alonso has a huge role to play at the club beyond this season.

Alonso managed to score from the spot in the penalty shoot-out win against Chelsea to help set up a Champions League final clash with AC Milan in Athens on May 23, while Momo Sissoko, who was dropped from the side altogether, has also been assured about his future.

Rafa in £12 million Argentinean swoop

Rafa Benitez is lining up a sensational £12 million raid on West Ham for striker Carlos Tevez even if the east London club avoid relegation from the Premiership.

The People newspaper claims that Tevez' business manager Kia Joorabchian met with Benetiz in a London hotel at the weekend to discuss a move for the player.

Tevez has played a key role in West Ham's recent revival but the rumours coming out of the club are that the original deal has left far too many wounds for all concerned for the player to remain at the club next season even if relegation is avoided.

That position leaves the door open for potential suitors for Tevez with Liverpool leading the chase having already done a deal for Javier Mascherano earlier in the year.

Liverpool will be mindful of the mistakes in the original deal that led to West Ham's £5.5 million fine and will be making sure any new deal is entirely in line with Premier League rules.

By Staff Writer - all3points