Televised FA Cup Matches: Preston v Liverpool - Gerrard Keane to right a wrong

Televised Match Previews / Richard Walker / 02 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

It's been a bad week for Liverpool and in particular Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool captain will see an FA Cup tie at Preston as the perfect opportunity to get back on track and do what he does best but don't expect Preston to lay down and die, says Richard Walker.

Noted for not taking the FA Cup as seriously as at least two other competitions, I believe Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez can ill-afford his side to slip to defeat after a tumultuous week for the Premier League leaders.

That's not to say he'll definitely be fielding the all-stars line-up - but I think Steven Gerrard simply has to play whereas he surely wouldn't have featured before his alleged bother in Southport last week. I concede I may be wrong, but I'll be surprised if his manager doesn't believe playing football to be the best thing he could be doing right now.

Should he feature, he'll be on a one-man crusade to ensure the Reds don't slip up on what's quite a sizeable banana skin at Preston North End's Deepdale. It'll be a freezing cold Saturday tea-time kick-off for those in attendance - so quite glad we can watch this one on ITV from the warmth of our own homes.

On the flip-side of that Gerrard suggestion, I can't believe this'll be the game that Fernando Torres makes his return from injury. We know Benitez has sent out under-strength sides before - two defeats in four seasons to lower-division opposition highlight that - so, if the Spanish hitman is involved, it'll surely only be a 10 or 15-minute job towards the end if all's going well. In this of all seasons, with Liverpool leading the league, you could forgive Benitez for some major tinkering.

The Match Odds show hosts Preston a [7.8[ chance to back, The Draw [4.4] while Liverpool are [1.53] to support for victory. That's prohibitively short in my book, when it's not certain who'll start for the visitors. That price might look sweeter once the teams have been announced but I'll prefer to find my kind of value in other markets.

Gerrard will be around [3.5] To Score at any time when the market develops. Don't miss out, he'll be busting a gut to right a wrong in the only way available to him. I'd also make someone like Yossi Benayoun a shrewd choice here, at around a [5.5] shot to notch at some point. He's an almost certain starter, I'd reckon.

For the home side, 'The Beast' - big Jon Parkin - has seen service at a few northern outposts and is a real handful. He might just prevail from a set-piece so roughly [6.0] or [7.0] might be tempting.

The 2.5 goals section is a tough call, perhaps one best to play in-running to see how the game's shaping up early on. If pushed, I'd side with Overs at [2.04], simply because Liverpool will want to force a result at the first time of asking here. Unders is [1.91] and I don't feel strongly enough to discount that.

Draw/Liverpool is my chief selection for this potential Lancashire hotpot. Priced at [4.9], there's enough room for manoeuvre to allow for a saver on Liverpoool/Liverpool at [2.32]. If you think that's a bit skinny, you might want to go the other way with a second selection and strike with Draw/Draw, [6.8] to back.

I know it's not very imaginative to suggest Preston have little or no chance of winning this match. It's just that I cannot get this Gerrard factor out of my mind. Even if, come half five, he's not playing, Benitez's others will be trying to keep talk of a mini-crisis away with a routine success. That's just the way I read it.