Barclays Premier League
Venue: Anfield Date: Sunday, 28 March 2010 Kick-off: 1600 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live, local radio, live on Sky Sports 1 & highlights on Match of the Day 2
TEAM NEWS
**Liverpool will again be without defenders Fabio Aurelio (thigh) and Martin Skrtel (foot), though the duo should return to action next month.**Midfielder Alberto Aquilani could return to the starting line-up after recovering from illness.
Sunderland defender John Mensah is a doubt after limping off in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.
The club will assess the fitness of Kenwyne Jones, who has missed the last two games with a hip flexor problem.
Liverpool
Injured: Aurelio (thigh), Skrtel (foot)
Sunderland
Doubtful: Jones (hip), Mensah (hamstring)
**Injured: **Reid (hamstring)
MATCH PREVIEW
Liverpool go in search of an eighth successive home league win against a Sunderland side chasing a first double over the Reds since 1936.
“The players know it is important to perform now for the future and they want to stay here so I think it will be okay”
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez
The Black Cats won the reverse fixture thanks to Darren Bent’s infamous ‘beach ball’ goal. For Rafael Benitez’s supporters, the incident is symptomatic of the bad luck that has blighted the Reds.
For his detractors, no amount of freak events or refereeing errors can mask Benitez’s mistakes, chiefly the failure to adequately replace Xabi Alonso or recruit cover for Fernando Torres.
The jury is still out on Alberto Aquilani, Alonso’s successor as Liverpool playmaker, though the statistics suggest they are a better side on the relatively rare occasions when he plays. Liverpool took maximum points in the five league games he has started but have won only one of the seven matches when he came off the bench.
Benitez guaranteed Champions League qualification in December, but defeat at Old Trafford last weekend left the Reds four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, having played one game more.
Sunderland have been in improved form of late, losing just one of their last nine league games. However, they have struggled to pick up wins away from Wearside and have a poor record at Anfield.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Sunderland have gone 11 games without a win at Anfield in all competitions, failing to score in their last five games there.
• The Black Cats’ last win away to the Reds was a 1-0 victory on 1 October 1983.
606: DEBATE
Have your say on this match
Liverpool
• The Reds are chasing an eighth successive league win at Anfield. A win on Sunday would be their best home run since winning eight on the spin towards the end of the 2007/08 season.
• The last Liverpool player to net a hat-trick against Sunderland was Roger Hunt at Anfield in 1966.
• Midfielder Alberto Aquilani has only started five league games for Liverpool since joining from Roma. The Reds have won all five of those matches, scoring 11 goals and conceding one.
• Aquilani has also made seven substitute appearances in the top flight, but the Reds have won only one of those games.
Sunderland
• Victory at Bolton in August is the Black Cats’ only win in their last 25 away Premier League games.
• Darren Bent has scored in five of his six appearances against ‘Big Four’ clubs so far this season.
• Sunderland have lost only one of their last nine league games, but have won just two of 18 since November.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
Liverpool
Torres: 18 goals (16 league); Kuyt: 10 goals (9 league)
Sunderland
Bent: 21 goals (20 league); Jones: 8 goals (8 league)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Phil Dowd
Assistant referees: David Coote & Mick McDonough
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
**Liverpool **(L1-2 v Man Utd, a): Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua, Mascherano, Lucas (Benayoun 83), Kuyt (Aquilani 73), Gerrard, Maxi (Babel 76), Torres. Subs not used: Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Kelly.
**Sunderland **(D1-1 v Aston Villa, a): Gordon, Hutton, Turner, Mensah (Da Silva 71), Ferdinand, Campbell, Henderson, Cattermole, Richardson, Malbranque (Cana 82), Bent. Subs not used: Carson, Bardsley, Zenden, Kilgallon, Mwaruwari.
MOST RECENT MEETING
Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool (17 October 2009)
Sunderland scorer: Bent 5