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| Brad certainly looks prepared if Reina is out... Image: liverpoolfc.com |
Anyway, fear not, the boys in Red are back and their opponents this Saturday are Reading.
Unfortunately for Liverpool the break has also offered the chance for injuries to be aired and Pepe Reina will have to undergo a late fitness test to see whether he will be able to start after picking up a hamstring problem. Fabio Borini will also be unavailable for up to 3 months after fracturing a bone in his foot, with Suarez our only real forward left I don't even want to start thinking about what may happen.
Reading on the other hand are relatively strong and only have one real concern with a doubt hanging over Noel Hunt.
The last time the two sides met I am sure you will remember was in the FA Cup. In January 2010 Reading came to Anfield after sealing a draw at home in the first leg. The Reds were going through a pretty bad spell but still bringing the tie back to Anfield left people pretty confident that Liverpool would find a way through, they didn't. Reading won the game 2-1 with a late goal from Shane Long.
The last time Reading got the better of us in the league was in December 2007 when they won 3-1 at the Madejski.
The 5-2 win over Norwich in September made it look as though Liverpool had found their springboard and would be back on track in the league but the draw that followed with Stoke was hardly inspiring. Add to this the loss to Udinese in the Europa League and suddenly the Reds look like they can be chipped away at again.
I'd talk about the positive of playing at home but as I've droned on about for a couple of weeks, Anfield isn't very impenetrable at the moment and Reading will certainly fancy a pop.
Reading's last two league games have saw them come away with a point and both fixtures ended with a 2-2 scoreline. They have only won 1 of their 4 away games so far this season but it is worth noting that Liverpool have only won 1 out of 3 also.
I can see a couple of goals in this game and unfortunately I can also see a dire draw so I will punt for 1-1 however I hope I am completely and utterly wrong. I hope the youngsters take Reading by surprise.
Enjoy the match folks!