Liverpool’s ability to keep pace with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League could get its toughest test so far today when the Reds host Wigan Athletic.
It’s not that Wigan are expected to be a more formidable opponent than any of Liverpool’s previous seven, but that star striker Fernando Torres is set to miss the match because of a thigh injury he picked up on international duty for Spain.
Chelsea are at Middlesbrough in another of today’s seven matches, having already shown they can cope with injuries to the likes of Didier Drogba, Deco, Joe Cole, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Essien. Now it’s Liverpool’s turn.
The teams are tied at the top of the standings with 17 points from seven matches, with Chelsea ahead on goal difference. But with winger Ryan Babel having damaged his ankle on Wednesday while playing for the Netherlands, Liverpool will find it tough to stay there.
Torres scored more than a third of Liverpool’s Premier League goals last season and has netted five of eight so far this time, suggesting that his predicted 10-day absence could hit his team hard.
Dirk Kuyt could fill in for Torres up front alongside Robbie Keane, who has yet to score in the Premier League for his new club.
Another option for Benitez could be to push captain Steven Gerrard further forward as a second striker.
Liverpool might also be worried about their defense, with Martin Skrtel out of action until December because of damaged posterior cruciate ligaments. Egypt striker Amr Zaki has scored five goals in seven league matches for Wigan and could trouble a patched up rearguard.
Chelsea will hope to have captain John Terry fit after the central defender missed two England matches in the past week because of a lower back problem. Left-back Ashley Cole could also miss out, but could easily be replaced by Wayne Bridge, as he was for England.
Manchester United host West Bromwich Albion hoping to make up some ground on the leading pair. The defending champions have stuttered at the start of the season and are six points off the lead, but have a game in hand and the in-form Wayne Rooney up front.
Rooney struck two goals in each of England’s World Cup qualifying wins over Kazakhstan and Belarus and now has seven goals in his last five matches for club and country. West Brom have conceded just one goal in three away matches, but could struggle to contain the striker.
Also today, fourth-place Arsenal host Everton, Aston Villa host Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers host Blackburn Rovers and Fulham host Sunderland.
The Gunners are just four points off the lead, but will be without William Gallas, Bacary Sagna and Nicklas Bendtner for two matches after all three were injured playing for their countries.
Cesc Fabregas broke his nose playing for Spain, but Wenger expects him and the slightly injured Robin van Persie and Johan Djourou to be fit.
Third-place Hull City get the chance to continue their great start when they host West Ham United tomorrow and last-place Tottenham Hotspur are at Stoke City.
Newcastle United play host to Manchester City on Monday.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS