Damage limitation a must for Liverpool

The Liverpool team were left unattended on the tarmac upon touchdown at Barcelona airport yesterday, the authorities having initially mistaken their plane for that of a charter flight returning from a skiing package holiday. Barcelona v Liverpool Venue: Camp Nou Kick-off: 7.45pm On TV: RTÉ 2, Sky Sports 1.

Once the oversight had been spotted, with the ground crews belatedly dispatched to end the awkward hiatus, the locals will have recognised the familiar foe in the travelling party's midst with a shudder of apprehension.

Rafael Benitez returns to Camp Nou this evening with Liverpool's season in effect hingeing upon their ability to emerge from a daunting first leg with progress in the tie still possible.

The Spaniard returned to his homeland to be bombarded with questions over his team's alcohol-fuelled antics on the Algarve last week but, if the Catalans were infuriated by his attempts to dead-bat that controversy, they will be well aware of Benitez' uncanny ability to infuriate them out on the pitch.

Three times he brought his Valencia side to these parts and departed undefeated with the locals in uproar; Liverpool will be aiming to emulate that achievement tonight.

The manager's message yesterday was very much that, even with the karaoke fallout rumbling on, his squad were ready to repair the reputations they tarnished at their training camp in Portugal against the holders tonight.

"I was surprised by what happened but their response was perfect for me," said Benitez, who is still considering how many of his squad will be fined for breaking a 12.30am curfew and whether to impose heavier sanction on Craig Bellamy after he allegedly threatened his team-mate John Arne Riise with a golf club.

"They apologised immediately, said they'd made a mistake and that they were sorry. They indicated to me that they would accept any internal disciplinary action. We will do something, the players must be fined but they are focused on this match."

That acceptance of guilt is understood to have been made at a team meeting in the immediate wake of the embarrassing events on the Algarve.

The manager, rather pointedly, refused to be drawn on Bellamy's long-term future at the club, though the Welshman is likely to have a part to play at some stage tonight with the visitors sure to play on the counter-attack against a team who have not lost at home in European competition for 13 matches.

Benitez will endeavour to starve Ronaldinho of service and space in an attempt to nullify the Brazilian's obvious threat, most likely offering his recent £2.6 million signing Alvaro Arbeloa a full debut with Republic of Ireland international Steve Finnan shifted further into midfield.

Arbeloa was excellent against Ronaldinho earlier this term, when Deportivo la Coruna held the reigning European champions at the Riazor in La Liga, and Benitez is also bolstered by the return of Mohamed Sissoko to full fitness and the availability, at last, of Javier Mascherano.

The Premier League confirmed they had approved the Argentinian's registration last night, allowing him to complete his move from West Ham United over three weeks since the transfer deadline passed.

Liverpool will hope they receive the appropriate paperwork from the English Football Association in time for the 22-year-old to play his part here if required. "He's a very experienced player with 22 caps and he'd be ready if needed," added Benitez.

The visitors can already take heart from having never lost in this arena, having visited twice under Gerard Houllier to emerge from Uefa Cup and Champions League ties with suffocating goalless draws that ultimately proved hugely valuable.

Benitez insisted yesterday that he was not here intent upon squeezing another 0-0 stalemate from this arena. "But that would represent a great result for us as well," admitted Jamie Carragher. "They're European champions and they have very few weaknesses. But every team has one or two deficiencies and the manager has been working with us to expose them for the last 10 days."

Indifferent form aside, the reality is that tempers have been as frayed in Barca ranks as in those on Merseyside recently with confirmation that Samuel Eto'o has not been included in Frank Rijkaard's squad, presumably doing little for the Cameroonian's darkening mood.

Another not to be involved tonight, the Brazilian Edmilson, chose yesterday as an apparently opportune moment to question Steven Gerrard's decision to remain at Anfield. "He's a great player and is the club's identity," he said. "But he should think about a new experience. Otherwise, when you stop playing you might think: 'What have I accomplished?' You will see that you spent the whole life in the same place and wasted one hell of an opportunity to do new things and win different titles."

That rather overlooks the fact that Gerrard has claimed six trophies during his Liverpool career to date, including the Champions League. The captain will make his first start tonight on foreign soil in this competition proper since that staggering evening in Istanbul, most likely in a supportive attacking role to a lone striker, with an evening of feverish work ahead.

"We know how difficult it is to play Barcelona because, against most sides, they dominate possession," added Benitez. "What I achieved at Valencia against them doesn't really come into it because they have changed their strategy since, but it would be great to come away with a similar result. We come here trying to limit the number of attempts they will be able to have on goal and, if we score, then everything changes. We'll try and keep possession better and not give them too many chances if we can and it's fair to say I am worried about the quality of all their players. But I am worried not frightened."

Tonight Liverpool must play without fear to keep their season alive.

Guardian Service