Overview

Both sides will come into the game with different aims; Spurs will be looking to challenge the two Manchester clubs for the title while Liverpool will be looking to close the gap between them and Chelsea who currently occupy the final Champions League spot. All eyes will be on Luis Suarez though, who will make his long awaited return after serving his 8 match ban.

Team News

The return of Luis Suarez after completing his suspension will give Kenny Dalglish a selection dilemma, with the likes of Carroll, Kuyt and Bellamy, all finding form after getting on the scoresheet at Molineux. Steven Gerrard, who was rested by Kenny Dalglish against Wolves, is also available.

Meanwhile Tottenham have some injury concerns to deal with, as William Gallas and Tom Huddlestone have already been ruled out, while Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe, Rafael van der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor are all doubtful. Deadline day signing Louis Saha is expected to make his debut for Spurs.

Starting XIs

Liverpool (probable)

Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Spearing, Adam, Gerrard; Bellamy, Suarez, Carroll.

Tottenham (probable)

Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto; Sandro, Parker, Modric, Kranjcar, Bale; Saha.

Quotes

“We’re not getting carried away. We were good enough, strong enough and realistic enough after the Bolton game to pick ourselves up, regroup and get the last three results.

“Because of the positive results, it doesn’t mean to say they (the players) are going to get carried away – and that’s good for us.

“We said last week we had 16 league games left, we’ve got a Carling Cup final and a fifth round FA Cup tie to play, and we’ll do as best we can to get as much as we can from those games.

“We knocked one of them off with the victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and as well as a victory it was a really good performance.” - Kenny Dalglish is refusing to get carried away after a good run of results.

“To be honest, we’re not looking at the next six weeks, we’re not looking beyond Liverpool,”

“We know what we’ve got to come but we don’t look at the next games as a block and think we need to get so many points from those games.

“We’ll concentrate on the Liverpool game, prepare for that, try to get as many points as we can from it and whatever happens, we’ll move onto the next match and deal with it in the same way.

“Liverpool is an important game because they are one of our rivals and we don’t want them to gain any ground on us, but our season won’t be defined by it.” – Spurs assistant manager Kevin Bond on his side’s visit to Anfield.

Stats

1 – Liverpool have won just one out of their last five Premier League meetings with Spurs.

11- Liverpool are unbeaten in 11 Premier League games at Anfield this season.

7 – Liverpool have been held on 7 occasions

3 – Jamie Carragher has scored three own-goals against Tottenham.

100 – Daniel Agger is expected to make his 100th Premier League start.

3 – Emmanuel Adebayor has scored three goals in his last three Premier League games against Liverpool.

Prediction

1-1

Although Kenny Dalglish has no fresh injury concerns to worry about, fatigue is going to play a significant role after a highly congested January for the Reds. Keeping in mind Liverpool’s disappointing home form this season which has seen them draw on too many occasions, coupled with Spurs’ attacking threat, this game seems likely to end in a goalscoring draw.

The 21-year-old joined Liverpool’s academy in 2006 from Brondby but failed to make a single first-team appearance for the Reds.

The news of his departure came after Liverpool signed Welsh stopper Danny Ward as his replacement.

The club statement read as follows:

Joao Carlos Teixeira will join Liverpool’s Academy after the formalities of his transfer from Sporting Lisbon were completed.

In this fixture last year Liverpool ran out comfortable winners, how do you see this one panning out?

It shall be a tough game like all games in the premier league. Liverpool have just beat both Manchester sides but this being their third game in 6 days hopefully this may help Wolves having not played in over a week.

Liverpool come in to this game on a high having had two fantastic results against the two Manchester teams. Do you feel this is a bad time to meet the reds, or will the exertions take their toll? 

It may benefit us with Liverpool playing these extra games in the last week but Liverpool have and are a strong team. With Liverpool reaching their first final in a few years moral should be high in and around the club. As a Wolves fan I’m hoping these extra games for them well help us to get a win or at least get a point off a good Liverpool team.

What player do you feel could cause you the most problems and who are you looking forward to seeing the most?

I think Steven Gerrard and Pepe Renia are both brilliant and key players for Liverpool. I’m looking forward to seeing none of them to help us out…

Andy Carroll is a player whose price-tag has caused a lot of scrutiny surrounding his performances. What do you think of the big man?

He had a good record at Newcastle but I think his price tag has come with big expectations as you would expect. Hopefully his current form continues just for one more game.

Adam Hammill had a stint at Liverpool as a youngster, how’s he progressing at Wolves?

I’ve rated Adam Hammill for a long time and was very pleased when we signed him last year. He’s been quiet as of late though. I don’t know the reason why he hasn’t been playing but every time I’ve seen him play he’s looked very promising. I do think however if a loan spell would help him at the moment as he’s not playing much first team football.

Who do you think will finish in the top 4 this season?

Manchester City, Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea (In that order)

Who do you see going down?

Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn. I don’t actually mind who goes down as long as Wolves aren’t there.

What’s your favourite memory or story involving the two clubs?

For me it’s got to be Stephen Ward’s winning goal at Anfield last season. Magical moment!

What is a little known fact about Wolves that Liverpool fans are unlikely to know?

Our highest ever attendance is Vs Liverpool back in February 1939. The attendance was 61,315.

What’s the score going to be then?

Haven’t got a clue. I guess it depends what Wolves team turns up. I’ll settle for a draw, I’ll say 1-1, Steven Fletcher to score for Wolves.

With only two full days recovery following the FA Cup tie with Manchester United it remains to be seen how much Liverpool have left in the tank or whether Dalglish will freshen things up. With 7 of Suarez’s 8 game ban already completed the reds will surely be looking to use last week’s heroics as a springboard for the rest of the season.

Ward has represented Wales at schoolboy, U17s and U19s level for and featured in a UEFA qualifying tournament based in Slovakia in late 2011.

“There’ll be nothing happening here in the transfer window, in or out.” he said.

“There’s no need to ask any questions about transfers or speculation or anything else.”

The Reds must now focus on getting the best out of what they’ve got in an effort to propel themselves back into Europe’s elite.

szólj hozzá: Liverpool vs Man Utd 2:1 GOALS

The Reds knocked out fierce rivals Manchester United 2-1 at Anfield in the previous round and will now face Gus Poyet’s side who overcame Newcastle in the fourth round.

The fixture will be played on the weekend of 18-19 February. Kenny Dalglish’s men have already faced Brighton earlier this season, when they knocked out the Championship side in the Carling Cup third round at the Amex Stadium.

Overview

A week is a long time in football. To think that seven days ago Kenny Dalglish was publically criticising his players for their lacklustre performance against Bolton seems almost unfathomable given this was the second Manchester club his side have knocked out of a cup competition in the space of four days. If the team can find the motivation to carry this form into the league then Champions League football is well within reach.

The Match

Both Kenny Dalglish and Sir Alex Ferguson sprang surprises in their selection choices, the home side opting to place Jamie Carragher, on his 33^rd birthday, in a largely unfamiliar holding role in midfield whilst the visitors brought in the fragile figure of David De Gea in place of Anders Lindegaard.

With just cause, either set of supporters could argue their unexpected opposition to be advantageous. Carragher was largely ineffective out of his defensive comfort zone, losing crucial midfield battles time and time again, allowing United to dominate possession. It fell, however, to De Gea to prove himself the most abjectly failed selection gamble, providing continual encouragement to Liverpool’s front line with a display that lacked anything close to conviction.

Questions as to whether or not Evra would be jeered by the Anfield faithful were answered within thirty seconds, as his first touch sparked a chorus of booing that briefly eclipsed chants of ‘We’re not racist, we only hate Mancs’.

It was Liverpool who created the opening chance, with Maxi Rodriguez firing low at De Gea’s goal, though on this occasion the Spaniard did well to turn it round the post for a corner that was wasted by Steven Gerrard.

Following this early promise the Reds struggled to remove United from possession, with the returning Paul Scholes averaging an outstanding 97% pass completion rate in the first half. With the former England international orchestrating the midfield the visitors began to dominate.

The energetic Antonio Valencia was unlucky to see his shot from the edge of the box strike the post after losing his marker, though, inevitably, Liverpool fans will claim a form of karmic justice after seeing the upright deny them on so many occasions. The winger, with his pace and trickery, proved a constant menace to Jose Enrique, who was often caught in possession whist attempting to engineer a counter-attacking move.

Alex Ferguson will undoubtedly wonder how differently the tie might have turned out had he not handed De Gea such a high profile reprieve. The Spanish keeper was at the centre of yet another embarrassing goal when Daniel Agger headed Liverpool ahead on 21 minutes. Allowing himself to be distracted by the excellent Andy Carroll, the goalkeeper was oblivious to the threat posed by the Danish defender, who, granted the opportuinity of a free header, sent the ball sailing over De Gea’s head and into the net.

With Anfield rocking, Liverpool would have expected to capitalise on their lead, yet it was United who responded most effectively. Building patiently, frustrating the home side with their impressively strung passing moves – the equaliser was inevitable.

Jose Enrique was the highest profile casualty of Mancunian possession, his concentration fatally lapsing as Rafael turned his marker to fashion an unlikely chance for Park Ji Sung, who lashed his teammate’s low cross past a diving Reina and into the net. For the remaining six minutes of the first half the home side were on the back foot; in hindsight they will cherish United’s inability to make their dominance count.

Though Liverpool’s counter-intuitive retreat continued after the interval, the knowledge of De Gea’s fragility kept them firmly in the contest and seemingly acted as a catalyst for Andy Carroll’s inspired second half performance. A constant menace, the £35 million forward delighted the Kop with a superb overhead flick to set up Steven Gerrard for a run at the United penalty area. That his shot flew harmlessly over the bar did nothing to detract from the encouragement taken from the quality of Carroll’s assist.

The team as a whole did not enjoy the same level of performance, however, and were incapable of regaining possession in a midfield battle being hopelessly lost. Sensing the game was beginning to slip away from his team, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish made two bold substitutions with half an hour to be played as Carragher made way for Charlie Adam and Maxi likewise for Dirk Kuyt. The Argentinean, though, can count himself somewhat lucky to have been available for replacement following what looked a dangerous two footed tackle on Ryan Giggs.

Steven Gerrard made way for midweek hero Craig Bellamy with 20 minutes remaining. The stocky forward was understandably a little rusty, yet, though his performance was unlikely to compare to that against Manchester City, he provided ample threat to the United defence.

As United persisted in their dominance, surviving long enough to earn a replay at Old Trafford seemed optimistic, an ambition further knocked when Hernandez replaced Scholes in the 76^th minute. Shots from Carrick and Welbeck in the final 10 minutes gave cause for concern, regardless of the fact that both were off target.

It was Liverpool, though, who snatched the win in the simplest move of the match. Reina’s long ball bypassed the midfield, heading straight to Carroll, who headed the ball down to Kuyt. The Dutchman all too easily escaped the clutches of none other than Patrice Evra to fire a half volley past the hapless De Gea.

It might have been 3-1 had either Carroll or Kuyt dispatched their chances a minute later, but as the Englishman’s header crashed off the bar, the substitute failed to replicate the same finesse twice in two minutes, scuffing the rebound shot disappointingly wide. It made little difference in the end as the Reds saw out the remainder of the game to enjoy another Anfield victory over their bitter rivals.

Stats

1 – David De Gea has only kept 1 clean sheet in his past 8 appearances for Manchester United.

2 – Manchester United have only lost 2 out of 17 away games in the FA Cup. Both losses have come at Anfield.

4 – In 4 days Liverpool have knocked out both Manchester clubs out of their respective cup competitions.

6 – Liverpool have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 6 FA Cup games.

8 – Including this game, the past 8 FA Cup meetings between these teams have been separated by just 1 goal.

14 – Despite lacking in possession, Liverpool managed 14 shots to United’s 9.

50 – Dirk Kuyt has (finally) scored his 50^th goal for the club.

97 –Paul Scholes completed 97% of his passes in the first half (73 out of 75).

Quotes

“I haven’t seen a replay [of Kuyt’s supposedly offside goal] yet but you don’t always get decisions here anyway,”

“We never got anything from the referee. I felt we dominated the game and at least deserved a replay, though I was still trying to win it at the end – that’s why I put Javier Hernández on. We played well, hit a post – it’s hard to believe we lost when we were so comfortable.” – Sir Alex Ferguson alludes to an Anfield conspiracy in an outstandingly paranoid assessment of his team’s fortunes.

 “Andy Carroll’s a good player. If it wasn’t for him today maybe we wouldn’t be in the draw tomorrow – he made a massive contribution today. Liverpool fans were superb – they never let us down. They realised we were very tired from midweek but they suck goals in for us.” – Steven Gerrard lavishes praise upon both Andy Carroll and the Kop at the end of an exhausting week.

“Both sets of supporters were well-behaved and a great advert for their respective clubs. There was a lot of friendly banter between them and that’s the way it should be.” – Kenny Dalglish redefines ‘friendly’ in an effort to ignore what was, at times, incredibly hostile chanting.

Summary

With one Wembley appearance guaranteed this season, Liverpool fans will be aspiring to a second following this defeat of what was, ultimately, a broadly superior United side. Both sides showed signs of fatigue, but it was the visitors who looked most threatening; they will rue their missed chances.

The defeat will be particularly hard to stomach for United given the nature of the winning goal; for all their dominance in possession, it was route-one football that secured the fifth round berth so desperately craved by both teams.

With the ghosts of Bolton emphatically exorcised, Kenny Dalglish will be looking to continue this form into the league as Liverpool look to stake their claim for a Champions League place. Whilst the cup excursions have the potential to inspire, the Reds boss will be conscious that his squad has not been overly stretched, though the imminent return of Luis Suarez should allay those fears for the time being.

As the prospect of a trophy-less season for Manchester United establishes itself as a firm possibility, Liverpool will take great heart from this win, if for no other reason than it came after a largely flat performance. If the club want to return to the very top and reclaim that one item of silverware they crave the most then the undeserved win is an art form they need to master. On yesterday’s evidence they are well on their way.

Overview

As ever in clashes between these giants of the English game, both sides will be desperate for victory, and with club loyalties so publically emphasised in the wake of Suarez’s aforementioned charge, this is likely to be a particularly feisty encounter. Both sides are likely to have to deal with a considerable amount of injuries and suspensions, but regardless, the players selected will undoubtedly fight tooth and nail for the win.

Team News

After an exhausting midweek fixture Kenny Dalglish will be tempted to freshen up his starting eleven. With that in mind Jay Spearing may well return to the squad as his manager remains conscious of filling the void left by Lucas’s injury. Despite firing the club to a first Wembley appearance since 1996, Craig Bellamy will almost certainly be replaced with Andy Carroll, in an effort to manage the Welshman’s long standing knee injury.

United too have their share of selection issues. Though they will be boosted by the return of Phil Jones, following an apparently miraculous recovery from his head injury last week, many first team players remain out of action. Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Nani are all doubtful, whilst the fixture comes just too soon for Tom Cleverly and Ashley Young to make their respective returns from injury.

Starting XIs

Liverpool (probable)

Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Spearing, Adam, Henderson, Gerrard, Downing; Carroll.

United (probable)

Lindegaard; Smalling, Evans, Jones, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani; Welbeck, Rooney.

Quotes

“We do all have a responsibility – we all have a responsibility to ensure that this game is remembered for the football.”

“Liverpool and Man United is a massive rivalry and, of course, there is going to be stuff in the papers and banter between fans.” – Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard establishes the club’s position on a well documented rivalry whilst hinting at the ugly side of fan loyalty.

“It is a massive game for both clubs. There is a tremendous profile on it.

“I am confident. We want to talk about the game of football. It is something you want to look forward to. That is what I intend to do.

“Our fans were terrific there this season. The issue of clubs reducing the number of tickets for our supporters has been going on for quite a while now. It has become a convenient way of selling their hospitality. But the stewards have a difficult enough job as it is. We should be helping.” – Alex Ferguson echoes Gerrard’s sentiments and tries to shift the focus towards positive fan behaviour.

Stats

4 –  Years since United won at Anfield.

8 – Amount of draws Liverpool have succumbed to at Anfield this season. They have mustered only 5 wins

10 – United’s overall lead in wins over Liverpool (71 to 61)

12 – Months since these two teams last met in the FA Cup

2004 – The year in which Sir Alex Ferguson’s team last lifted the cup

Prediction

1-1

With both sides itching to set the record straight over the fresh animosity that has built over the past months, this is likely to be a hotly contested affair. However, with injuries, suspensions and fatigue setting in, this one seems likely to end a draw, with neither team capable of playing at their best.

A red card on either side is a significant possibility and, as ever, would implicate hugely on the result. Liverpool have been touted as favourites due to the home advantage, but even the roar of the Kop might not be enough to see off a resilient United. Old Trafford beckons.