The day has come for the biggest of the big European nights to return to Anfield. At 2:45 PM EST Liverpool and Roma will kick off the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. The Reds and their fans have been waiting for this day and the time is almost here. 180 minutes stands between one team from a date with the finals in Kiev.
Team News:
No new injury news to Liverpool keeps this rather straight-forward. Joel Matip remains out for the year, Emre Can seems likely to miss the rest of the year, Adam Lallana is still battling for fitness, and Nathaniel Clyne is still recovering from his knock that kept him out of the line-up against West Brom. Jordan Henderson will return to the Champions League eleven following his one-game suspension against Manchester City in the second leg of the quarters. Liverpool will hope to avoid any injuries between now and game time in training but barring that, the Liverpool eleven seems to pick itself on Tuesday.
The Reds should be well-rested following the weekend as many first-team Reds were withheld from the starting eleven. Dejan Lovren, Andy Robertson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold all missed out as did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Bobby Firmino, though those two (as well as Lovren) made cameos as substitutes. No one should be suffering from dead legs, and with their usage over the weekend the main starters should not have suffered from any significant layoff.
Roma are not suffering from any serious concern as well. Aleksandar Kolarov, the former City man, was held out of the squad in Roma's weekend meeting with SPAL however the muscle injury seems not to be too significant. He should/will return to the squad on Tuesday. Rick Kardsdorp and Gregoire Defrel are the two Roma long-term misses however these are nothing new and Roma have dealt with and prepared for them. Looking ahead to this match, Roma held out several starters as well as Eden Dzeko, captain Daniele De Rossi, and Alessandro Florenzi all were rested over the weekend and seem set to be well-rested for the tie.
Projected Liverpool Line-Up: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson; Henderson, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Projected Roma Line-Up: Alisson; Florenzi, Fazio, Manolas, Jesus, Kolarov; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Strootman; Dzeko, Schick
Previewing the Game:
It is the most exciting Liverpool tie in a decade. The Reds are exactly one decade removed from their most recent trip to the Champions League semi-finals where they fell to Chelsea. This time, it is hoped, will be different. Jurgen Klopp has instilled a sense of belief within this club as a whole. Two years ago it was the semi-finals in the Europa League. This time around is the big competition and fans believe in their team and believe in their manager. This is the man that turned Andy Robertson into arguably the finest left-back in England, who developed Mo Salah even further than his heights in Roma into PFA Player of the Year, who has utilized James Milner as the ultimate utility man. Anfield Road will be rocking on Tuesday.
Of course, Roma's incredible comeback will not be lost upon anyone. Beating Barcelona 3-0 at home showcases the importance of this first leg for Liverpool. Barcelona handled Roma easily with a 4-1 win. That away goal was enough though and Roma used that to aid in their advancement. Kostas Manolas leads the back-line and was the hero of the second leg with the tie-clinching goal. That will be fresh in all fans' minds and set pieces will be a slight worry, especially after West Brom scored their game-tying goal off of one. It is hard not to picture Roma's big man up front Dzeko making an impact with some towering headers, so this is where Virgil van Dijk will have to come up large (literally) and slow him off his pace.
Everyone is talking about Mo Salah. Who can blame them? PFA Player of the Year, 41 goals, 31 in the Premier League tying the 38-game-per-season record, the accolades continue. Of course, everyone is also talking because he will match up with his former team. Salah has been unstoppable and it's tough to overstate his impact this season. His opponent on the left flank will be Kolarov and Roma will hope his rest will make him up for the challenge. Reds are familiar with him as an ex-Man City player last season as well as several before, and Salah has a big pace advantage. Kolarov offers plenty going forward and is a superb crosser, so while he will have his hands full with Salah, Salah will have to cover Alexander-Arnold as well in tracking back on defense on that right side.
Leadership has been vital to this Liverpool team's success. Jordan Henderson has been a model captain, van Dijk's addition to the back four has meant the team has a very verbal and expressive leader, and of course Jurgen Klopp's touch-line leadership has been instrumental. However Roma are a massively famous club. De Rossi is a breathing, playing club legend who bleeds for the club as captain (having taken over for one of the club's greatest players, if not the greatest, just like Henderson). Florenzi is Roman through-and-through and produces at a consistently high level. Singling those two out feels wrong, Nainggolan, Fazio, Manolas, Kolarov, all are high character players with huge passion. Henderson has said he is excited and up for the battle, Liverpool will need their captain's grit and determination.
Final Thoughts:
Growing up in the States, you always heard about clubs like Liverpool. Clubs like Roma. Players like Steven Gerrard and Francesco Totti were well-known even to a youth like myself who knew little about the sport. These are two of the most historic clubs in the world. Both can attack. Both have passionate fan bases. Both need all the home support they can get. Roma is a tough and determined squad who have plenty of unity and do not seem like the type to get fazed even by the world-famous Kopites. But there's something about those Anfield European nights that get everyone in the pitch wearing the dark red kits fired up and firing.
Score Projection: Liverpool 2: Roma 1
Roma have too much quality for me to predict them to get shut out. I like Dzeko as a 'complete' striker and think he'll knock one in. I, however, simply cannot pick against Liverpool on a European night and will select a scoreline that gives the 90 minutes in Rome all the importance in the world.
If you liked this, give me a follow on Twitter @RMABTweets, or e-mail me at redsmaizeandblue@gmail.com. I'll be Tweeting throughout the game and will always respond and interact if you have questions or statements.
Team News:
No new injury news to Liverpool keeps this rather straight-forward. Joel Matip remains out for the year, Emre Can seems likely to miss the rest of the year, Adam Lallana is still battling for fitness, and Nathaniel Clyne is still recovering from his knock that kept him out of the line-up against West Brom. Jordan Henderson will return to the Champions League eleven following his one-game suspension against Manchester City in the second leg of the quarters. Liverpool will hope to avoid any injuries between now and game time in training but barring that, the Liverpool eleven seems to pick itself on Tuesday.
The Reds should be well-rested following the weekend as many first-team Reds were withheld from the starting eleven. Dejan Lovren, Andy Robertson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold all missed out as did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Bobby Firmino, though those two (as well as Lovren) made cameos as substitutes. No one should be suffering from dead legs, and with their usage over the weekend the main starters should not have suffered from any significant layoff.
Roma are not suffering from any serious concern as well. Aleksandar Kolarov, the former City man, was held out of the squad in Roma's weekend meeting with SPAL however the muscle injury seems not to be too significant. He should/will return to the squad on Tuesday. Rick Kardsdorp and Gregoire Defrel are the two Roma long-term misses however these are nothing new and Roma have dealt with and prepared for them. Looking ahead to this match, Roma held out several starters as well as Eden Dzeko, captain Daniele De Rossi, and Alessandro Florenzi all were rested over the weekend and seem set to be well-rested for the tie.
Projected Liverpool Line-Up: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson; Henderson, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Projected Roma Line-Up: Alisson; Florenzi, Fazio, Manolas, Jesus, Kolarov; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Strootman; Dzeko, Schick
Previewing the Game:
It is the most exciting Liverpool tie in a decade. The Reds are exactly one decade removed from their most recent trip to the Champions League semi-finals where they fell to Chelsea. This time, it is hoped, will be different. Jurgen Klopp has instilled a sense of belief within this club as a whole. Two years ago it was the semi-finals in the Europa League. This time around is the big competition and fans believe in their team and believe in their manager. This is the man that turned Andy Robertson into arguably the finest left-back in England, who developed Mo Salah even further than his heights in Roma into PFA Player of the Year, who has utilized James Milner as the ultimate utility man. Anfield Road will be rocking on Tuesday.
Of course, Roma's incredible comeback will not be lost upon anyone. Beating Barcelona 3-0 at home showcases the importance of this first leg for Liverpool. Barcelona handled Roma easily with a 4-1 win. That away goal was enough though and Roma used that to aid in their advancement. Kostas Manolas leads the back-line and was the hero of the second leg with the tie-clinching goal. That will be fresh in all fans' minds and set pieces will be a slight worry, especially after West Brom scored their game-tying goal off of one. It is hard not to picture Roma's big man up front Dzeko making an impact with some towering headers, so this is where Virgil van Dijk will have to come up large (literally) and slow him off his pace.
Everyone is talking about Mo Salah. Who can blame them? PFA Player of the Year, 41 goals, 31 in the Premier League tying the 38-game-per-season record, the accolades continue. Of course, everyone is also talking because he will match up with his former team. Salah has been unstoppable and it's tough to overstate his impact this season. His opponent on the left flank will be Kolarov and Roma will hope his rest will make him up for the challenge. Reds are familiar with him as an ex-Man City player last season as well as several before, and Salah has a big pace advantage. Kolarov offers plenty going forward and is a superb crosser, so while he will have his hands full with Salah, Salah will have to cover Alexander-Arnold as well in tracking back on defense on that right side.
Leadership has been vital to this Liverpool team's success. Jordan Henderson has been a model captain, van Dijk's addition to the back four has meant the team has a very verbal and expressive leader, and of course Jurgen Klopp's touch-line leadership has been instrumental. However Roma are a massively famous club. De Rossi is a breathing, playing club legend who bleeds for the club as captain (having taken over for one of the club's greatest players, if not the greatest, just like Henderson). Florenzi is Roman through-and-through and produces at a consistently high level. Singling those two out feels wrong, Nainggolan, Fazio, Manolas, Kolarov, all are high character players with huge passion. Henderson has said he is excited and up for the battle, Liverpool will need their captain's grit and determination.
Final Thoughts:
Growing up in the States, you always heard about clubs like Liverpool. Clubs like Roma. Players like Steven Gerrard and Francesco Totti were well-known even to a youth like myself who knew little about the sport. These are two of the most historic clubs in the world. Both can attack. Both have passionate fan bases. Both need all the home support they can get. Roma is a tough and determined squad who have plenty of unity and do not seem like the type to get fazed even by the world-famous Kopites. But there's something about those Anfield European nights that get everyone in the pitch wearing the dark red kits fired up and firing.
Score Projection: Liverpool 2: Roma 1
Roma have too much quality for me to predict them to get shut out. I like Dzeko as a 'complete' striker and think he'll knock one in. I, however, simply cannot pick against Liverpool on a European night and will select a scoreline that gives the 90 minutes in Rome all the importance in the world.
If you liked this, give me a follow on Twitter @RMABTweets, or e-mail me at redsmaizeandblue@gmail.com. I'll be Tweeting throughout the game and will always respond and interact if you have questions or statements.
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