Reds International Roundup

Liverpool players didn't fair too well today in their various international World Cup Qualifying matches:

• Steven Gerrard & Jamie Carragher were part of the England team that suffered one of the most humiliating setbacks in their history as a David Healy goal earned Northern Ireland a shock 1-0 win in a World Cup qualifier in Belfast. On-loan LFC keeper Chris Kirkland was an unused sub on the bench, while Stephen Warnock failed to make the squad.
  England now trail Poland, who are top and 5 points clear with one more game played than England. The two team will meet in the final group game. England will need to beat Austria and Poland to qualify top, anything less will see England in a play-off spot (which is secure). Liverpool's Jersy Dudek is expected to have recovered from injury in time to play that final game.
  
  
• John Arne Riise was part of the Norway team that lost to Scotland, which has really blown apart the race for the second spot in Group 5.
  Norway are still in second spot, but now they lie a virtually insurmountable 5 points behind leaders Italy and in joint second with Slovenia, their victors today are a mere two points adrift and still in with a shout of making the play-offs. (England v Scotland anyone?)
  
  
• Xabi Alonso and his Spanish team were held to a 1-1 draw in Spain by Serbia and Montenegro. Jose "Pepe" Reina and Luis Garcia were on the bench, while Morientes pick-up an injury before the game and was unable to play.
  Group seven is wide open, where Spain now lie second behind today's adversaries, just two points adrift but also only 1 and 3 points clear of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Belgium (respectively), the later who they play next and must beat, before taking on minnows San Marino in the final group game.
  
  
• Sami Hyypia's Finland destroyed fellow Group One competitor 5-1, but a win by Old Boy Milan Baros' Czech Republic side have now made the unlikely now impossible as Finland have no chance of qualifying for next years finals.
  
  
• Djibril Cisse was a late second-half substitute for France as they beat unused substitute Steve Finnan's Republic of Ireland 1-0 in Dublin.
  France are should be all but through from Group four which they jointly lead with Switzerland (their next opponents), before facing Cyprus in their final group game. The Republic must hope that France win their next game while they dispose of Cyprus, to have any chance of qualifying by beating Switzerland in the final game. However, anything less than two wins by the Republic and two points by France will see Israel (who only have Group 4 whipping boys, the Faroe Islands to beat) qualify ahead of them, along with the Swiss.
  

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Most likely outcomes:

Group 1: Sami Hyypia's Finland are already out.
Group 4: Cisse's France should qualify from Group 4, either as automatic qualifiers or in the play-offs. Finnan's Republic of Ireland is a little more unsure, as long as France beat Switzerland, they should have a good chance of beating the Swiss on home soil.
Group 5: Should see Riise's Norway advance (most likely though the playoffs) as they only have two games against bottom teams Belarus and Moldova, Meanwhile Scotland and Slovenia must face each other in the final game, this after Slovenia have played Italy. For Scotland to qualify ahead of Norway, Norway would have to fail to win one of their two remaining games, while Slovenia would have to beat Italy and Scotland by greater goal margins than the Norwegians do in the final two games - both scenarios are extremely unlikely.
Group 6: England are assured at least a play-off spot, but will need to beat both Poland and Austria, to secure top spot and automatic qualification. Both games are at home and England will have a better than fair chance of going top after the final game.
Group 7: As long as they can overcome fellow challengers Belgium in their next game, Spain should qualify with their last game against lowly San Marino. Serbia and Montenegro home game to Bosnia-Herzegovina will determine whether they finish top or in a play-off spot.

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Predictions:

Group 1: No "Last Hurrah" World Cup for Sami.
Group 4: Cisse will sing from the top of the group.
Finnan will be spending his summer on the beach.
Group 5: A play-off spot for Riise.
Group 6: Gerrard, Carragher, Kirkland, Crouch and Warnock will top the group.
Jersey will hope for a easy play-off opponent.
Group 7: The class of Xabi, Garcia and Jose, should bring Spain to the top, but Serbian strength will break their hearts and send them to the play-offs.

Blessing or Blow?

Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes has been sidelined for up to two weeks by the injury he picked up in training.

The former Real Madrid man was forced to withdraw from the Spanish squad on Tuesday night after injuring his hamstring in the final training session before Spain face Serbia and Montenegro.

Tests by medical staff with the Spanish team confirmed that the 29-year-old Liverpool forward had sustained an injury to his left thigh.

In remarks reported on the www.marca.es website, team doctor Genaro Borras said: "We have done the relevant tests this morning and we have discovered that he is suffering a micro-rupture of the femoral biceps in the left leg.

"It's an injury that we estimate will sideline him for a period of between 10 days and a fortnight."

The Spaniard's hamstring injury puts Djibril Cisse firmly in the spotlight. Cisse had been said to complain that he was being touted around Europe in the transfer window, but manager Rafael Benitez dismissed those suggestions and now clearly expects him to knuckle down.

Benitez said: "Cisse knows what he has to do for us, work hard, try to score goals and stay fit all season. And not to let other things distract him.

"The rumours about Cisse were already going around long before we beat CSKA Moscow in the Super Cup last week, and he still managed to score two goals for us that night."

Now Cisse will get his chance to play as Liverpool's main frontman, probably alongside Peter Crouch, ironically the partnership which has so far this term looked Liverpool's most productive. And it's from this point of view a Liverpool fan would have to wonder whether Nando's injury is a blessing or a blow. Morrientes has still to convince Red fans that he is up to the job of leading their attack, something that Benitez himself has no doubt about. However, good displays from a prelonged exposure, say for 2 or 3 games, to a Crouch-Cisse partnership may be enough to convince Rafa to do what most fans think and not put all your hopes in the ageing ex-Madrid striker.

The height and awkwardness of the former Southampton man complimented the pace and movement of Cisse in previous games, while Morientes' form has been patchy to say the least this term.

It is anything but ideal for Benitez, who during the summer transfer window made some dramatic decisions about his strike force by selling last season's top scorer Milan Baros to Aston Villa, and sending youngster Anthony Le Tallec out on a season-long loan to Sunderland that cannot be reversed. He thenfailed in his bid to bring Owen back to Anfield when Newcastle's club-record bid blew Liverpool out of the transfer negotiations.

New striker Crouch, a £7million signing from Southampton, is at last available again after a hamstring injury and suspension ruled him out of the opening games of the season, but although he will be in the squad at Spurs he is hardly match-fit, while Florent Sinama-Pongolle has only just returned to action following his broken leg suffered last February in the Carling Cup at Spurs. Meanwhile, Neil Mellor, who was also nearly sold (to Sheffield United) before the transfer window shut, is still recovering from a shin operation.

All this brings Cisse firmly into the equation. He suffered an ankle injury for France in the win over the Faroe Islands at the weekend but will now find himself centre stage at Anfield in the coming weeks.