LFC to Play Friendly Against Old Champions League Rivals

Liverpool’s will play their first game of their Swizz training excursion tomorrow against Beyer Leverkusen in Austria.

Leverkusen is a team that LFC have become very familiar with in recent seasons while playing in the Champions League. LFC first met and went out to the German team in the 2001-02 season, who upset the odds and overturned at 1-0 anfield lead. The return leg was nothing less than spectauar for the then Bundesliga leaders who produced a 4-2 home win to go through to the semi-finals 4-3 on aggregate. In the process they robbed us the chance to go head to head with Man Scum and finally took our place in the final (which they lost to Madrid).

The rematch came earlier this year when LFC played against them in the last-16 round of the European Cup/Champions League and breezed past the seeded team with two 3-1 wins and 6-2 on aggregate. The rest of course is history, as Liverpool went on to upset the odds by beating Juventus, Chealsea and the AC Milan to win the trophy for the fifth time (and for keeps!)

This friendly certainly won't have the same feveour of previous encounters, but will prove a strong test to Liverpool (who probably won't meed them again this season as Leverkusen only qualified for the UEFA Cup this season.) After this the team will be preparing to fly back to England to play the return leg against TNS at Wrexham and then back over to Switzerland to continue their summer training camp.

It will be an evening kick-off at 7:30 pm, local time (6:30pm GMT; 1:30pm EST; & 10:30am PST).

Owen in Bid for Anfield Return

Michael Owen (writes Chris Bascombe from the Liverpool Echo) is desperate to make a sensational return to Liverpool. The former Reds striker wants to end his Real Madrid exile and Anfield officials have been alerted to Owen's fervent desire to rejoin the club he left last summer.

A dramatic swoop hasn't been ruled out.

However, Rafa Benitez has already made other arrangements in the transfer market and would need convincing to move for the 25-year-old striker.

The European Champions have not budgeted for a bid for Owen, who joined the club as a schoolboy but decided to leave for Spain in an £8m deal last year.

Although Benitez could be in the hunt for a proven goalscorer before the transfer window closes, that would depend on how much he could raise in player sales.

His first priority is a target man, with Southampton's Peter Crouch still top of his wish list.

Liverpool are interested in the possibility of arranging a year loan deal with Real Madrid for Owen, but that would require some skilful negotiation and appears to be an extremely optimistic option at this stage.

Owen left with the Real Madrid squad for a summer tour of America yesterday, but he's anxious to return to England before the start of the season - and Liverpool are currently the only club which interests him.

Model professional Owen has never publicly expressed any discontent about life in Madrid, but privately he's become increasingly disillusioned since leaving England.

On the pitch, Owen's goal record defies the accepted view he's failed to make an impact in Spain.

He scored 14 goals in 22 starts, but he's never completely settled and has found himself regularly on the bench, despite his impressive goal ratio.

Owen scored 158 goals in 298 appearances of an Anfield career which began in 1997 and is seventh on the list of the club's all time goalscorers.

Meanwhile, the Luis Figo saga should be resolved this weekend.

The only issue now is Figo's pay-off from Real Madrid.

The Spanish club are no longer demanding a fee for the Portuguese star.

The 32-year-old midfielder is in the United States but will leave the Madrid tour when he's decided between Liverpool and Inter Milan.

The Reds are now in Switzerland preparing for the clash with Bayer Leverkusen in Austria tomorrow night.

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I'm not sure what to make of story by the Echo. For a while I've thought of Micky Owen as a little bit of a "Rush to Juventus" and that he could be coming back after just one season away. However, being a young lad I don't recall Rush messing us around and leaving on the cheap or even if he cost more to bring him back than we sold him for.

Having said that if we could land MO for the same kind of price as we seem hell bent on spending for Crouch (or even a smidge more) I'd be all for it. Whether he leaves or stays Owen will do well, but only if he gets the game time. It would be interesting if we took him on loan for the season, only to buy him for a much more reduced price next Summer.

They claim that he won't go anywhere other than LFC if he returns, although in truth I'm sure he would have a hard time turning down, say Chelsea if they made an offer. However, he should be aware that, if he moves back to Anfield, Rafa would no longer see him as the golden boy before he left last summer.

I still rate him as a player and a forward and if he came back it would be awesome: Morientes, Baros, Cisse, AND Owen! The best part though is that I don't believe that Rafa (unlike his predecessor) build a team around him, and instead make him part of a squad that is really going places.

The only question remains is how the fans will respond. For my money anyone who puts on a red shirt and plays their part gets my support. I fully understand why he left last year, and I'm sure that he regrets it, he surely must have known that with Cisse gone for most of the season, he would not only have been celebrating in Instanpool, but also Cardiff and would've helped us look respectable in the league (the bonus being that the Toffee's would be in the UEFA Cup and we'd have no qualifying games to go through).

It's all early doors right now, but with our other top target being Crouch, it's a lot more fun to get excited about.

Instanpool Poem

This poem has been floating around our place for a couple of day's, I don't know where it came from or who wrote it...

The 96 were watching as we walked out in Istanbul
And Shanks and Bob and Emlyn, they were looking down as well
It seemed to be all over when Milan scored their three goals
But someone else was watching and that man was a Pole.
So the folks up there in heaven were a little bit surprised
When Pope John Paul the second appeared right before their eyes
He smiled at Shanks and Bob and Em knelt down and said some prayers
Then turned back towards the lads and said "I just spoke to Him upstairs

He can't do much that's obvious, but he'll see what he can do
He thinks it might be better if you played a 3-5-2
He saw the team was struggling, and that Finnan needed a rest
But don't you worry lads 'cause now the 'keepers gloves are blessed
You see - the lad in nets is one of mine So I put in a request
"I know I lived in Italy, down in the Vatican
But I can't quite bring myself to be shouting for Milan
So the words gone down to Rafa, to do the best he can
He whispered very quietly he'd do better with Hamman
He's says you'll be alright from now The game it isn't dead
And things will soon get better if young Steve uses his head
It was Vladi's birthday yesterday and the man owes him some luck
He'll even do the decent thing and make Milan Baros duck
We owe Xavi a big favour because of the broken leg
But he'll need to chase the follow up and score with his left peg
And then just to make it interesting He's ordered extra time
And we'll see how good them gloves are when Dudek saves it off the line.


We've done everything we can to make sure the ball stays out.
But we cannot interfere with the penalty shoot-out.
So Shanks, Bob, Emlyn and good ol' Pope Johnny Paul
Watched the match in wonder and cheered on every goal
And full time went to extra time with the fans nervously sick
And they waited until the time came for Serginho's first spot kick
Serghino he missed the goal, and Pirlo's shot was saved
But Didi and Lord Frodsham proved their nerves were not so frayed
Then Thomason put one in, but Riise missed his shot
Then Kaka scored, and Smicer scored, the atmosphere was red hot
And then almost in slow motion it was time for Shevchenko's chance
But Dudek had different ideas and did a little dance
Then waited for a second as the ball came flying in
Dived to the right and parried it to save it for the win
And as they down on all the fans and scenes of wild abandon
Em turned to old Pope Johnny Paul and put his arm around him
And said "That was unbelievable, the best game without doubt -
But I thought you said you wouldn't help with the penalty shoot out?"
John Paul looked up and smiled and said "Look son, it wasn't me"
And I wouldn't doubt the word of God in truth and honesty
So Emlyn he was puzzled as the crowd was going wild
But in the corner, on their cloud,
Shanks and Paisley sat and smiled.
The moral of the story is that money can't buy success
And neither can a constant whinge to people in the press
And writing a team off when the clock reaches half time
Might just result in something coming out of the divine
Because Shanks and Paisley knew, as the cup was coming home
God wears the red of Liverpool and we'll NEVER WALK ALONE!!!