Liverpool vs Portsmouth Match Preview
If last week is any indication of Monday performances Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez must be wishing his team were playing on any other day of the week.
A poor performance last Monday against Wigan resulted in a 1-0 loss to the lowly Latics, thus denting further Liverpool’s hopes for a fourth place finish.
Thursday now seems an ominous day too for Liverpool. They lost 0-1 away to French outfit Lille in the first leg of their Europa League Fourth Round encounter.
It has been a poor campaign by Liverpudlian standards and rumors of manager Rafa Benitez’s impending departure are circulating. The Reds are in sixth place on 48 points. That’s just a point behind Manchester City and Tottenham. But Liverpool has played 29 matches so far, whereas City have only played 27 and Tottenham 28.
Defenders Johnson, Agger, Aurelio and Skrtel are all listed as injured going into the weekend, and although a win against Portsmouth on Sunday is probable, a fourth place finish is looking less and less likely for Liverpool.
Portsmouth beat Liverpool 2-0 at Fratton Park in December and although their likely relegation was even then a talking point, their situation today is nothing short of desperate.
The club has gone into financial administration and will likely be assessed a nine point deduction. Although their financial difficulties have rendered their league campaign shambolic, Portsmouth fight on despite their probable drop into the League Championship tier of English football.
They’re still alive in the FA Cup however, and although they lost a league match to Birmingham on Tuesday evening, it was also Birmingham they beat on Saturday to go through to the FA Cup Semi–Finals.
Pompey go into the weekend with injuries to Makoena, Boateng, Vande Borre and Smith.
