UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: After the gritty defensive displays and the wins that got away, Liverpool's European campaign reaches crunch time this evening, though if they are to progress they may have to do so without Michael Owen.
The England striker, recovering from a hamstring strain picked up against Newcastle almost two weeks ago, will undertake a late fitness test this afternoon before the caretaker manager, Phil Thompson, finalises his line-up. Yet Owen comes complete with a handle-with-care label and, given Liverpool's blossoming title challenge, he will not be risked unless fully recovered.
"We'll take a late decision on Michael, but he'll only play if he's 100 per cent," said Thompson, who watched the striker during light training over the weekend and put him through his paces in a session yesterday.
"It's touch and go. We'll see how he comes through, but I'd say he was 50-50 and we don't want it to be a gamble. With Michael's history, you don't want to risk it and he'll have to be right to play." That will be music to Roman ears. Regardless of the undoubted calibre of his replacements, Owen still commands a psychological clout that would have even the Italians, top of Serie A and heading this qualification group, wary of his presence. Liverpool, who drew 0-0 away to Roma last December, have scored only twice in the second stage; Roma arrive aware that the home side must match that tally without reply if they are to guarantee progress.
"The thing about Michael is that he scores in the big games," said Steven Gerrard, who will anchor midfield in the absence of the suspended Dietmar Hamann. "We'll all feel that extra responsibility if he's missing. When one big player's out, all the others have to share the burden - his would be a big loss." Yet, even with the question mark hanging over his talismanic striker, Thompson was brimming with bravado.
"It has got the makings of an absolutely fantastic night of football, a St-Etienne II," he said, recalling the heady night 25 years ago when the original supersub, David Fairclough, came off the bench to inspire a 3-1 win over Les Verts.
"It's our biggest game of the season so far, but when we get through tomorrow night we'll go into two-leg affairs and we've proved ourselves one of the best in Europe at those. All last season's UEFA Cup run they were cut-throat ties, but we came out on top in some daunting places. We're going to win tomorrow night; if the players want it badly enough and the fans want it badly enough, there's only one winner.
"We got our reputation back last year. This club has made its name not only in winning championships here, but also being the scourge of Europe. It's nice to be back up there with people fearing this club again." Not that Fabio Capello's side, in search of a point to qualify, will be quaking at the prospect of returning to Merseyside. They won in this arena last season - Liverpool's only defeat on their way to the UEFA Cup triumph - and have been sweeping all before them in their domestic league, fired by the form of their striker Vincenzo Montella who boasts six goals in his last two Serie A games, including four in the 5-1 mauling of Lazio, to make it 92 in 147 top-flight matches.
"They won't be daft enough to go all-out attack," said Thompson, who lost his back-up goalkeeper Chris Kirkland to a back injury in training yesterday, "but they won't just shut up shop either."
LIVERPOOL (probable, 4-4-2): Dudek; Xavier, Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher; Smicer, Murphy, Gerrard, Riise; Litmanen, Heskey.
AS ROMA (3-4-1-2): Antonioli; Panucci, Samuel, Aldair; Fuser, Tommasi, Assuncao, Candela; Cassano; Totti, Montella.
Referee: R Pedersen (Norway).
