Benitez may rest big guns

Apr 10 2007

by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

RAFA BENITEZ is considering resting his big guns for tomorrow’s visit of PSV Eindhoven. The Liverpool boss will assess his options after training this afternoon, but he may be tempted to hand more fringe players an opportunity to protect the 3-0 lead. However, Benitez is also cautious about presuming the tie is over. “I haven’t decided which team to use yet, but we do have options,” said Benitez. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT “The best idea is to approach the game to win, and then maybe we can look at the situation at half-time and decide whether we can change it. “I must talk to the players and be sure they realise they must still work hard. We can approach the game with confidence, but I also remember what happened in Istanbul. “It’s not impossible for a team to win when they’re losing 3-0. “Of course, in normal circumstances it will be very difficult to do this, but we must be careful and professional.” Xabi Alonso insists PSV will be treated with the same respect as last week. “Of course we’re really happy with the result we had in Eindhoven, but you must always remember there’s still one game to play and in football anything is possible. We know this from our own experiences,” said Alonso. “I know what everyone else is saying about the situation, but as players we can’t think we’re in the semi-final yet. “We must be professional and try to do the same at Anfield as we did in the first leg.” That said, Alonso accepts tomorrow’s fixture won’t be as intense or as high pressured as it would have been if Liverpool didn’t have such a big advantage. “Yes, it’s been good to put ourselves in a strong position so maybe we could feel more relaxed when watching the Chelsea versus Valencia game,” he said. “We know we’re in a position where we can analyse how they play both games before we play PSV again, and that may help us in the future – but only if we get through to the semi-final. “We know what we are playing for and we know what it means to get to the final, and even more importantly, what to do to win it.”

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