Fri Dec 21 13:04:17 2007

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Liverpool faces tough rebound test against Portsmouth

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Liverpool, England (Sports Network) - Liverpool enters a busy holiday period 10 points behind league-leaders Arsenal, leaving the Reds with much work to do if they are to get back into the title picture.

Rafael Benitez and his men lost a tough 1-0 contest to Manchester United last Sunday, dropping Liverpool further down the table and putting loads of pressure on the team to turn things around immediately.

Saturday's match with Portsmouth at Anfield will give Liverpool that chance, but Benitez knows that his club is in for a tough game against Pompey, which is even on points with Liverpool entering the game.

"We know Portsmouth are a very difficult team to face because they have a very good away record and they have a manager with experience, so it will be a tough game," Benitez told the club's website. "I'm not really surprised because we played against them in Hong Kong and know they have very good players. We knew they could be near the top of the table and I think they deserve to be there."

Liverpool is currently on a run of three defeats in four matches, but the manager feels as though the team's approach will not change as they continue to try and string together some positive results.

"When we win a number of games in a row, we think about one game at a time, so it is the same situation now," Benitez said. "We are not thinking about how we lost the last game. We know against United we deserved more. Against Portsmouth we will try to win, score goals, play good football and give something for our supporters, something to enjoy."

Captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres both missed Liverpool's Carling Cup loss to Chelsea on Wednesday because of illness, but Benitez is expecting both players to be healthy enough to play on Saturday, while the manager will also have the services of midfielder Xabi Alonso for the first in a league game since October.

The Spanish international suffered a metatarsal injury in October and recently returned to the lineup on Wednesday, making him anxious to get back into the mix.

"I have been injured before, and you have to accept it when it happens because it is part and parcel of being a footballer," Alonso said. "But what made it worse this time was that I had only just returned from the first injury when I was injured again. Now, though, I am back in the squad and I am delighted about that."

Portsmouth will be without defender Noe Pamarot (hamstring) while midfielder Sean Davis (ankle) is also unlikely to play.

Manager Harry Redknapp faces a difficult week with a visit to Anfield on Saturday before the team returns home to face Arsenal on Wednesday. Redknapp would be boosted by the return of Hermann Hreidarsson while Linvoy Primus (knee) and Martin Cranie (broken leg) remain long-term absentees.

In other EPL action on Saturday, league-leaders Arsenal face off with London rivals Tottenham, who have won their last three games and become a new team under manager Juande Ramos. fourth-place Manchester City tries to avoid its third loss in four games against Aston Villa, bottom-half clubs Birmingham and Bolton meet up at the Reebok Stadium, Wigan travels to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham, while West Ham visits Middlesbrough and Reading entertains Sunderland.

On Sunday, second-place Manchester United goes for a fourth-straight league win when the team hosts Everton, Derby goes for its second win of the campaign at St James' Park against Newcastle and Chelsea travels to Ewood Park to square off with Blackburn.