Tuesday, May 01, 2007 ;
4:13 AM
LiverPool Is Going to win Tommorow!!! Never walks Alone!! Liverpool v Chelsea
Liverpool v Chelsea
Champions League semi-final, 2nd leg
Date: Tuesday, 1 May
Kick-off: 1945 BST
First leg: 0-1
Venue: Anfield
Listen: BBC Radio Five Live
Updates: BBC Sport website and mobile
Full-back Steve Finnan is set to return after a neck injury as Liverpool bid to overhaul a 1-0 first-leg deficit in the Champions League semi-final.
Reds striker Peter Crouch could also be in line for a starting place.
Chelsea forward Andriy Shevchenko (groin problem) has joined Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Ballack on the injured list but Arjen Robben is fit.
Midfielder Michael Essien returns for the Blues, but he could be drafted into central defence in place of Carvalho.
News conference: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho
News conference: Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez
Khalid Boulahrouz is another defensive option, while further forward midfielder Ballack has had an ankle operation which will rule him out for at least 10 days.
606: DEBATE
Who will reach the final?
Didier Drogba and Joe Cole, who scored the only goal in the first leg, will miss a potential final in Athens if they receive a yellow card.
The same fate awaits Javier Mascherano or Jermaine Pennant should they earn a booking.
Mascherano was one of seven players who sat out Liverpool's 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth on Saturday along with Jose Reina, Daniel Agger, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and John Arne Riise.
They all look certain to start on Tuesday.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Agger, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko, Pennant, Zenden, Bellamy, Kuyt, Mascherano, Crouch, Dudek, Gonzalez.
Chelsea (from): Cech, A Cole, Makelele, Terry, Essien, Ferreira, Boulahrouz, Robben, Lampard, J Cole, Drogba, Mikel, Geremi, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Diarra, Kalou, Cudicini.
BIG MATCH STATS
Definitions of terms used:-
Champions League (CL) - only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.
Champions Cup/Champions League - all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.
European matches - all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).
Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.
Head-to-heads
Liverpool and Chelsea have played each other five times in European history, all in the Champions League. In the 2004-05 season, the Reds knocked out the Londoners at the semi-finals (0-0, 1-0) and in the 2005-06 season, both teams met in the group stage, drawing 0-0 twice.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool - Champions League semi-final first leg Match Report
Both teams have therefore only scored once in the previous five meetings. Liverpool's goal, which was scored by Luis Garcia was heavily contested as it appeared not to have crossed the line.
European history
Liverpool have won the Champions Cup/Champions League five times with the most recent coming in 2004-05 when they won the Champions League for the first time, beating AC Milan on penalties. Their previous successes came in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984. They have also won three Uefa Cups and three Uefa Super Cups. This season is Liverpool's fifth in the Champions League and their 34th in European competition.
Chelsea's biggest success in European competition is winning the Cup Winners' Cup twice. They won the trophy in 1971 and 1998. They also won the European Super Cup in 1998. This is Chelsea's fifth CL participation. Their best result is reaching the semi-finals, which they have now managed on three occasions (2003-04, 2004-05 and 2006-07).
Current European form
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six CL matches, winning the last two. Their most recent defeat was 1-0 at Werder Bremen on 22 November 2006.
Liverpool have won all but one of their CL home fixtures this season. FC Barcelona won 0-1 at Anfield in the second round.
Player and disciplinary info
Javier Mascherano, Jermaine Pennant (both Liverpool), Arjen Robben, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Didier Drogba, Lassana Diarra (all Chelsea) will be suspended for the final if booked.
Jamie Carragher is the most experienced player in the Liverpool squad. He's set to make his 90th appearance in Europe, breaking Ian Callaghan's club record. Luis Garcia has scored 10 CL goals, more than any other player in the Liverpool squad. Xabi Alonso is the only Liverpool player who has appeared in all 11 CL matches this season.
Andriy Shevchenko is the most seasoned Chelsea player with 89 CL appearances. He's also the most prolific goalscorer in Chelsea's squad with 46 career CL goals. Didier Drogba is the only Blues player that has appeared in all 11 CL matches this season. With six goals, both Peter Crouch and Drogba are ranked joint second on the CL top scorers list this season, three behind AC Milan's Kaka.
Other miscellaneous facts
Liverpool are hoping to record their 150th European Cup match.
