Liverpool vs Portsmouth

Liverpool are looking to consolidate (or even extend) their lead at the top of the table with a home clash against troubled Pompey.

Stevie G said after the win against Manure that the three points were meaningless unless we backed them up with a victory over Stoke. We didn't, and for a while there we had the knee-jerk jitters as the same old groans started to make themselves heard.

This time, following another victory over a main rival, he's gone and said it again, pointing out that we can't afford to slip up in this fixture as we now have to show we can deal with the pressure of being top.

I know that this season out of all the others, it's impossible to just scan the fixtures and cherry pick the ones we think we'll win or draw etc, but we now don't face another 'Big Four' side until December 21st, when we travel to the Emirates, so there's no reason why we can't stay out in front at least until then, starting on wednesday. With Chelsea playing the new fifth member of the 'Big Four', Hull, and Arsenal having a derby day, and Manure entertaining one of their bogey teams in West Ham, wednesday has the potential to be a very good day for us, if we do things right.

Liverpool are still missing star striker Fernando Torres, who is now unlikely to be fully fit until next week, and it is something of a blow given that he netted an excellent brace in the corresponding fixture last season.

Mind you, given our form without him recently, you could be forgiven for not worrying overly.

Robbie Keane faces another fitness test on his hip injury, while Ryan Babel is pushing for a starting role after an excellent cameo at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Long-term absentees Phillip Degen and Martin Skrtel are the only other definite 'outs', while as usual there is a slight doubt about Aurelio.

With Torres and possibly Keane missing, Flyin' Ryan may be given the chance he so dearly craves to start up front, possibly alongside compatriot Kuyt, and he'll be eager to make sure any talk about signing another striker in January is premature.

Portsmouth have seen an excellent early season's work undone by the second defection of former favourite Harry Redknapp, who we'll have our chance to take out revenge on their behalf on saturday.

Nonetheless, a new manager in Tony Adams will bring a sense of togetherness amongst the players, and first games against clubs with new managers are rarely the stroll in the park you'd think.

Portsmouth post a fairly clean bill of health, with only Glen Little a major doubt, while Sean Davis returns from a one-match ban.

In tandem with Jermaine Defoe, rarely has a cliche worked so well in the modern game, but Pompey's 'Big man, little man' front two are argubly the form strikeforce in the league this season, and unfortunately for Pompey fans, both have been linked with a return to former club Tottenham along with Redknapp.

Crouch in particular is someone who needs no introduction at Anfield, and he'll be eager to show Rafa exactly why he should have had more game time.

Last season this fixture turned out to be a relatively easy 4-1 thumping to us, with a brace from Torres and goals from Benayoun and an OG from Distin overriding a Benjani consolation.

Interestingly, this match also came just after our trip to Stamford Bride last season, where we'd just been beaten 2-0 in the Carling Cup, and it was one of the last high points of that period of the season, as we won just four of the subsequent twelve games, with three of those victories being against the hapless Derby, the mighty Luton Town and the even mightier Havant and Waterlooville.

Not so much and omen, we hope, as a warning to keep our feet on the ground and do the job properly.

Without Torres and Keane, we won't have the natural pace up from to expose Pompey's aging centre backs Campbell and Distin, unless we give Babel a shot. Having said that, we now have all the pressure on us to perform, and I believe we can win comfortably so long as we focus. 3-1 to us, with Gerrard, Babel and Agger scoring, and Crouchinho netting a consolation.

We can do Portsmouth a favour by beating 'Arry for them on saturday. Hopefully it can be our good deed for beating them in midweek.

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