Liverpool v Arsenal: Liverpool play host to Arsenal today in a Premiership clash that offers both sides a chance to cut their mounting problems down to size.
Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has been under fire for his side's lacklustre football and some mixed results, which culminated in last weekend's 3-2 defeat by Charlton Athletic after being a goal up.
Arsene Wenger, though delighted his Arsenal side are top of the table, faces major problems on both the injury and disciplinary front - with the latter threatening to undermine their season.
Victory for either Frenchman at Anfield would therefore be an invaluable morale boost for their players and would also keep their respective critics quiet for a while at least.
Despite a few media brickbats, Houllier's position at Liverpool is not under serious threat, according to the Anfield boss. Reflecting on the fickleness of the press, Houllier said: "Had we won at Charlton, people would have been saying I was the Manager of the Month.
"Instead we lost and people are saying (Celtic boss) Martin O'Neill is back in the picture."
Despite today's game being dubbed "make or break" for Houllier and his side, the manager says it will be much too early to rule his side out of the title race if they lose the game.
"I said it was an important game for both teams," he said, "maybe more important for us than them because of the points difference. But as far as I know no trophies have been won in the first week in October."
Houllier has serious injury problems, having lost midfielder Dietmar Hamann before the start of the season and also being without keeper Chris Kirkland, defender Jamie Carragher and striker Milan Baros. Midfielder Danny Murphy is out for up to four weeks with an ankle ligament injury, while Swiss defender Stephane Henchoz is only just coming back from injury. The good news is that Czech midfielder Vladimir Smicer should shake off a knee problem.
Wenger's injury worries are equally acute as he is missing skipper Patrick Vieira, midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg and forward Dennis Bergkamp.
There are doubts too over the availability of Sol Campbell, who has not played since Arsenal's dismal 3-0 Champions League defeat at home by Inter Milan on September 17th, following the death of his father.
Wenger also has disciplinary problems looming with six players facing misconduct charges after last month's bust-up at Old Trafford, and some - if not all - facing possible suspension. And the Arsenal boss has conceded that he has not made an emergency plan in case a number of his players are banned.
"For the moment I don't have an emergency plan. I still hope that we will succeed in defending ourselves (before the disciplinary committee)," he said yesterday. "They have been accused and I will need to have many days to reflect, to see what I will do if a number of suspensions are imposed on us."
Wenger, still rankled by Arsenal's 2001 FA Cup final defeat by Liverpool after leading until the closing minutes, would dearly love to take all three points from Anfield today. The likelihood, though, is they will return south with only one of them.
David Beckham will be available to Sven-Goran Eriksson as he prepares for England's decisive European Championship qualifier against Turkey in Istanbul in seven days' time.
The England captain suffered an injury to the sole of his right foot during Real Madrid's 2-0 defeat in Valencia last weekend, but having completed a long session of light running, four-a-side games and attacking exercises yesterday, Beckham said: "My foot is fine, it's all right."
Just one day after Brian Kerr indicated he would like to see Alan Quinn playing his football at a higher level than the second division, the 23-year-old Dubliner completed a loan move to Sunderland for at least three months, reports Emmet Malone.
As part of the move, former under-21 international Michael Reddy moves to Quinn's club, Sheffield Wednesday, in a similar deal.
Ireland under-21 manager Don Givens has called up Eamonn Zayed for next Friday's European 2004 Championship qualifier against Switzerland. The Bray Wanderers striker comes in due to the withdrawal of Cork City's John O'Flynn.
The threatened strike action by SIPTU members at the FAI has been deferred. The action was to start on Monday but following the intervention of the Labour Relations Commission, sufficient progress was made for both sides to agree to further talks.
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