With their £183 million sterling investment in the Premiership looking more knee-jerk by the day, the last thing ITV chiefs wanted to hear yesterday was Gary McAllister brandishing their other footballing flagship, the Champions League, as "dull".

The tentative jousting of the early group stages of Europe's premier club competition has failed to capture the Scot's imagination.

"The Champions League has a big reputation, but up to now it has been a bit dull," he said. "Teams don't want to lose their opening games, but now the group is taking shape and getting more exciting, we have targets and goals to aim at."

Charges of torpor could be levelled at Liverpool - there have been only six goals in their four games - rather than the competition, but the reds are more dull in a "boring, boring Arsenal" sense; they rarely lose. This evening they defend an 11-match unbeaten away record in European competition, their best for 37 years.

As if to mark the occasion, the caretaker manager Phil Thompson donned a suit rather than his customary tracksuit for the trip to Portugal. The 47-year-old visited Gerard Houllier in hospital on Monday and was encouraged by the Frenchman's steady recovery from open heart surgery. "He was walking down the corridor unaided," said Thompson.

The caretaker has done little wrong in Houllier's absence. Last week's win in Kiev lifted Liverpool to the top of Group B and victory this evening would guarantee qualification for the second stage.

The side will be without Steven Gerrard, who has a thigh strain, but Michael Owen may return on the bench.

"Of course we would welcome Gerard back, but there hasn't been any turmoil," said McAllister. "Nobody's contemplating anything going wrong."

Such optimism might receive a dose of reality this evening. The Portuguese champions have surprised many in this group - not least Liverpool who laboured to a 1-1 draw in the opening fixture.

Boavista are used to flustering opponents with the slick approach play typified by their Brazilian forwards Duda and Silva.

"If we play quickly and on the ground, we will give them plenty of trouble," said Silva.

BOAVISTA (Possible): Ricardo; Frechaut, Paulo Turra, Pedro Emanuel, Erivan; Petit, Alexandre Goulart, Sanchez; Duda, Martelinho, Silva.

LIVERPOOL (possible): Dudek; Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Riise; Murphy, Hamann, McAllister, Barmby; Smicer; Heskey.

Referee: K Nilsson (Sweden).