Predicted Liverpool XI vs Blackburn
The only course to salvage a rather poor season for Liverpool lies in the glorious road of the FA Cup. Liverpool were held to a goalless draw at home by Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals and will now be playing at Ewood Park against the Championship side in the replay. Liverpool have had the wind knocked out of their sails courtesy of two back to back defeats by their top 4 rivals, the top 4 seems a target which is out of sight so the FA Cup becomes all the more important for the club.
Liverpool will be missing three key players in the game, Can, Gerrard and Skrtel will all be serving suspensions and this would be a huge problem for Rodgers as he takes on a side which will be buoyant seeing how Liverpool have struggled to score this season and with so many defensive issues, the Championship team will be licking their lips so that they can knock out another Premier League side.
Liverpool have maintained that winning a trophy is part of the plan and this is the chance to do it but what side will come out to face the Blackburn team? We predict the starting line-up for the Reds.
Simon Mignolet
Mignolet had a poor game against Arsenal and could have saved a couple of goals but he has been brilliant in the second half of the season, so one bad game is no big deal. Hopefully he can keep a clean sheet and help Liverpool progress.
Dejan Lovren
With Can and Skrtel injured, this could be the time for the Croatian to lead from the defence and show just how good he really is.
Mamadou Sakho
Surprisingly, Sakho has become a better defender as the season has progressed, yes he still provides a heart attack when it comes to his passing but leaving that aside, he is one of the best defenders in the league.
Kolo Toure
The old man of the Liverpool defence, Toure was easily taken apart by the trickery and pace of the Arsenal attack and will be hoping that a similar fate does not occur in this game.
Glen Johnson
Adam Lallana might be injured for this game and with Markovic not impressing enough in the last game, Liverpool could use Glen Johnson, someone who can attack well and just about defend.
Jose Enrique
Another player who has been frozen out from the squad but with Alberto Moreno struggling in the last two games, a break for the young Spaniard could open the door for Enrique.
Jordan Henderson
Henderson needs to step up and will be hoping that he can provide a captain’s performance against the Championship side.
Joe Allen
It was a tough call between Allen and Lucas but with Lucas just coming back from an injury, two games in a week for the Brazilian might be a tad too many and thus Allen gets the nod.
Raheem Sterling
The contract situation seems to have gotten to Raheem Sterling but he still should play against Blackburn as he is one of the best players Liverpool have.
Philippe Coutinho
The Mercurial Brazilian had an off day but those days have come against Manchester United and Arsenal. This could be just the kind of game for him to get his mojo back and help Liverpool into a semi-final.
Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge has looked completely out of sorts but to be fair, he has not received the kind of service as he did last season. Sturridge needs to get good passes played into him in hope of scoring goals and will be looking for the same from his other attacking teammates.