Champions league: Group A: MARSELLA vs. LIVERPOOL

If you were a club needing to win your last group stage match against Marseille to qualify for the next round of the Champions League, you wouldn’t want to lose your first domestic league game of the season. Oh bugger. Liverpool might have had a lot of confidence in beating the French outfit a couple of weeks ago when they bounced back into contention in group A by beating leaders Porto, but now after losing to modest club Reading by three goals to one at the weekend they may have lost some of it. The Merseyside club is now in fourth place in the Premier and three points behind third placed Chelsea, although they do have a game in hand. Off the pitch problems between Spanish coach Rafa Benitez and the American owners is also something which needs to be sorted out and quickly, too. Luckily for Liverpool, they don’t have to worry about injury problems and I can see this match being the scene where Fernando Torres becomes a man. His arrival in the summer provoked some to question whether he was worth the twenty four million pounds Liverpool paid Athletico Madrid for him, but since then he has shown what a great striker he is and also the potential he has for becoming one of the best in the world. He has adapted to life in the English Premier very well indeed and his eleven goals so far this season will easily be doubled by the end of it. He has scored some very important goals for the club in his short time with the club, most notably the opening goal against Chelsea in the league which was his first in an official game. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he scores the winner here in this game too.

Marseille must be wondering what they have done so wrong to be in such a position now in group A. A couple of games ago they were leading the group and after beating Liverpool at Anfield were sure of classification. But since then they have drawn against Porto and a surprise defeat to Turkish side Besiktas has meant they go in to their last group match needing to get at least a point to go through. Liverpool can also carry on if they draw on Tuesday night, but only if Besiktas do them the favor of beating the Portuguese champions.

In times like these you really have to go for Liverpool. Rafa Benitez’s job is said to be hanging by a thread and defeat will almost certainly end his Liverpool career. The players are behind him and will go all out to save their manager’s job. I’m going for a short Liverpool victory here, and watch out for the above mentioned Torres and heart of Liverpool Steven Gerrard to get on the score sheet, but they might have to come back from behind in classic Liverpool style.

Prediction: Away win (1-2)