Liverpool may be out of contention for the Premier League trophy but Rafael Benitez's side could still have a major say in the outcome of the title battle on what could be a decisive Easter weekend.
Having watched his men hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks, Benitez will travel to Old Trafford tomorrow confident they can finally claim the league win over Manchester United that has eluded the Reds in seven previous attempts since their Spanish manager's arrival at Anfield in 2004.
With Chelsea entertaining Arsenal on the same day, such an outcome could have major repercussions for United, who start the weekend as favorites to retain the title after opening up a three-point advantage over the Gunners and five clear of Chelsea.
Liverpool have put together a run of seven straight wins, largely thanks to the sharper cutting edge they have displayed since Steven Gerrard was switched to an attacking role on the heels of Fernando Torres.
Torres has plundered 27 goals already this season while Gerrard needs one more to hit the 20 mark for only the second time in his career.
"The understanding between players is always important, especially players up front," Benitez said. "The partnership between Torres and Gerrard has made a massive difference, it is difficult for teams to stop them both. We are profiting from this."
Liverpool have also looked more solid defensively of late with Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso both operating as holding players in midfield, but any defensive system is bound to be strained under the pressure generated by a United attack spearheaded by the apparently unstoppable Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese winger took his haul for the season to 33 goals with his double in the midweek win over Bolton.
Perhaps with one eye on the refereeing of tomorrow's game, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has described that achievement as particularly impressive in light of the number of times opponents foul the Portuguese winger.
"The fouls are frustrating, especially for Ronaldo, and I have nothing but admiration for the way he picks himself up and keeps running at people," Ferguson said.
"Time after time he is tackled unfairly and often opponents try to indicate that he has dived," he said.
"Of course, when Ronaldo is running at full speed sometimes it doesn't take much to knock him over but the truth is that too many opponents don't know how to tackle properly. And to disguise their shortcomings they accuse him of falling deliberately," Ferguson.
At the other end of the table, this weekend could be just as significant with two huge relegation battles seeing Newcastle entertain Fulham and Birmingham visit Reading.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to