Liverpool under pressure
When Brendan Rodgers’ side won 3-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in August in the Premier League it looked as if Liverpool were moving on seamlessly without Luis Suarez, gone to Barcelona.
But September was not a kind month to the Merseyside club: no league wins, fortunate to beat Championship side Middlesbrough on penalties in the League Cup, and their lone success being an unconvincing 2-1 win over Ludogorets in their opening Uefa Champions League match, which would have been a draw if not for some reckless defending from the Bulgarian side, which led to Steven Gerrard’s decisive penalty.
Brendan Rodgers will hope that October sees a considerable improvement, starting Wednesday against FC Basel.
With holders Real Madrid also in Group B, there is not much room for error and Liverpool cannot afford to lose in Switzerland, with their two matches against Madrid still to come.
The Swiss side should not be underestimated. They beat Chelsea twice in the group stages last season, and though they were routed 5-1 by Madrid last month, they will expect to push Liverpool hard.
Only Raheem Sterling of Liverpool’s vaunted forward line appears to be playing anywhere near his best at present, and Rodgers will expect more from his attack, especially from Mario Balotelli, who has so far underwhelmed since his £16 million (Dh95.2m) move from AC Milan.
Can anyone stop Ronaldo?
Even by his high standards, Cristiano Ronaldo is enjoying a purple patch of form.
The Real Madrid forward has scored 10 goals in his past four games in all competitions, and he will fancy his chances of increasing that tally further on Wednesday night, away to Ludogorets.
There has been high interest in the game in Bulgaria, with tickets selling out for the game, despite fans being forced to buy tickets for the other Group B matches with Liverpool and Basel as a package.
The good news for the Bulgarian side is they have a sell-out crowd, the real problem is trying to find a way to do what so many Spanish defences have been unable to do: keep Ronaldo quiet for 90 minutes.
Dortmund’s chance to make hay
Group D is looking like one of the most competitive in this year’s competition, and Borussia Dortmund, the 2012/13 finalists, have a great chance to put the pressure on their rivals on Wednesday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have been poor in the German Bundesliga; Saturday’s 2-1 derby loss to Schalke was their third in six games and their title prospects already look flimsy, given they already trail Bayern Munich by seven points.
Their best performance of the season came in their opening group game of the Champions League as they comfortably beat Arsenal 2-0, thanks to goals from Ciro Immobile and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
With Arsenal facing a tricky task to bounce back against Galatasaray on Wednesday, a victory by Klopp’s men at Anderlecht could leave them in charge of the group, with a lead of at least three points over the third-placed side with four games remaining.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
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