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Anfield, Liverpool
Tuesday 4 November 2008 - 20.45CET
Group D - Matchday 4

Fernando Torres is in a race against time to be fit to face his former team, Club Atlético de Madrid, with Liverpool FC manager Rafael Benítez giving him a 70 per cent chance of being ready for the UEFA Champions League encounter at Anfield.
Thigh injury
The Spanish international has missed the Reds’ last five matches because of a thigh strain, including the 1-1 Matchday 3 draw against Atlético, and Benítez will make a decision about Torres on the morning of the Group D return game. “He is 70 per cent ready,” said Benítez. “We have to train, we will talk to him and then decide. If the player has confidence, OK you can take the risk, but if he has no confidence, you have to wait. Clearly he likes to play against anyone, and especially against Atlético. He has a very good relationship with the fans and also with the club.”
First defeat
Torres, who scored more than a hundred goals for Atlético before his €30m transfer in summer 2007, has been a sensation at Liverpool, although they had been doing well without him until they surrendered a three-point lead at the top of the English Premier League on Saturday. A stoppage-time goal condemned the Merseysiders to a 2-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur FC, pushing them into second place behind Chelsea FC on goal difference following their first defeat this season. “We just have to keep doing the same things and try to take our chances and not make mistakes in defence. I’m pleased with all the strikers because we were winning without Fernando,” said Benítez, before adding: “Sometimes we need to be more clinical.”
Progress beckons
Both sides are on seven points at the Group D summit, four above PSV Eindhoven, and either could reach the knockout rounds provided they win and PSV lose at Olympique de Marseille. Benítez highlighted Atlético’s Argentina forward, Sergio Agüero, as just one of several offensive threats. Agüero scored twice in Saturday’s 2-0 home win against RCD Mallorca, a result which ended a run of four Liga games without a victory as Atlético climbed to sixth place, nine points behind frontrunners FC Barcelona.
Heroes return
Coach Javier Aguirre, who will not be able to communicate directly with his Atlético players as he begins a two-match UEFA ban, includes former Liverpool attackers Luis García and Florent Sinama Pongolle in his squad. Goalkeeper Grégory Coupet is back after a thigh injury, but the Frenchman may be on the bench following Leo Franco’s solid display against Mallorca. Czech international centre-back Tomáš Ujfaluši and Greece defender Giourkas Seitaridis are both out injured.
‘Measure ourselves’
Far from fearing the name Torres on the team sheet, Aguirre said he welcomes the prospect. “We want to play against a fully-fit Fernando Torres so we can measure ourselves to see how we do against a full-strength Liverpool,” said Aguirre. “We have taken this competition so seriously and we have done very well up to now, but we can’t appraise our success until the six games of the first phase have been completed. Whenever I start any game, I go with the intention of winning, whether it’s at home or on any opposition ground.”
Kuyt ready for Atlético assignment
Liverpool FC may have lost their status as English Premier League leaders at the weekend, but Dirk Kuyt believes their UEFA Champions League Group D meeting with Club Atlético de Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday offers an ideal opportunity to bounce back.
First defeat
Kuyt gave Liverpool a third-minute lead at Tottenham Hotspur FC on Saturday, yet the London side hit back in added time to win 2-1 and inflict the Reds’ first defeat of the campaign. The result meant Liverpool slipped to second place, behind Chelsea FC on goal difference. “I think we played really well [against Tottenham]. We were disappointed, but we have had a good season so far, I guess,” said Kuyt, 28. “Of course everyone is talking about the pressure if you lose a game, but that’s football. The most important thing is to win our own games and not look at the table too much at the moment.”
Top scorer
Despite being moved out to the right wing at Liverpool after making his name as a striker with Feyenoord, Kuyt is still the club’s top goalscorer this season, having found the net six times in all competitions. However, the Dutch international admits it was a lack of clinical finishing that cost his team three points against Tottenham. “I think everybody knew after Saturday what the problem was … we missed too many chances,” he said. “Sometimes this happens in football. We have to make sure we will be ready for the game tomorrow and just win the other games.”
Progress beckons
A Liverpool victory against the Spanish Liga side could secure their progress to the knockout rounds if the other Group D result goes their way, and Kuyt says it is vital they learn from their last encounter with Atlético, a 1-1 draw in Madrid a fortnight ago. “I think we played a really good first half over there,” he added. “It was a pity we gave away a goal in the last ten minutes. We have to learn from that. If we concede in the last ten minutes, it must not be necessary, because we have a good team and we defend really well. That’s really important, because we want to be into the next stage of the Champions League and we want to be first in the group.”
‘Special game’
Kuyt spent one season playing alongside Luis García who will be making his Anfield return for Atlético. The 30-year-old was an integral part of the Reds’ UEFA Champions League-winning side in 2005 before moving back to Spain in July 2007. “It’s a special game for any player to have the opportunity to play here at this great stadium with the fantastic atmosphere, but it’s extra special for me because I spent some very happy years here and I enjoyed my football, so it’s a nice occasion,” said Luis García. “I’ve had lots of good luck messages from people in the city, and not just Liverpool fans. It’s great to be able to come back and see these people again. I will always have a special place in my heart for the time I spent here.”