CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW
Liverpool go into their Champions League encounter in Moscow as the top team in the Premiership as a result of their 1-0 win at Leeds and Arsenal's shock defeat at the hands of Merseyside neighbours Everton. After ten league matches the Anfield club is averaging 2.4 points and two goals a game but it's now Champions League football, and that has proved a totally different ball game for Houllier's men.
After rattling in five goals in the reverse fixture, at Anfield, Liverpool must show no mercy against Spartak, who are bottom of the group. This is the game which can go a long way towards deciding Liverpool's fate in this season's competition, particularly as Basel contest the second spot behind Valencia.
Goal difference, which amounts to how many goals the other three teams score against Spartak, may prove crucial in the final analysis so, important though victory is in Moscow, goals must also come into the equation.
On the scoring front Liverpool face an anxious wait on the fitness of Emile Heskey who is suffering from a groin injury, which kept him out of the win at Elland Road and Houllier will wait until the very last minute before deciding on his line-up, although the Liverpool boss did hint: "There is a strong hope he will be fit."
Houllier certainly doesn't under-estimate Heskey's contribution, especially in European fixtures away from home, and he added: "Emile is important to us and we will see how he goes in training. He can play several positions up front and sacrifice himself for the team. You win things when you have players of the calibre of Emile Heskey.
"Not just because of his football quality but also the mental attitude. Wherever Emile plays, he delivers. I signed Emile because of these qualities. He's a diamond of a player, he embodies all the right qualities of a professional footballer. He's very hard working, sacrifices himself for the team. He's always decisive because he's so strong."
One player definitely out is Steven Gerrard, who stayed behind on Merseyside to continue treatment on the hip injury he sustained while on England duty against Macedonia. But the good news for Liverpool is that Salif Diao will continue to deputise and the Senegal star, who scored the only goal of the Leeds game, will be able to build on that, according to his manager.
Houllier even went as far as comparing Diao to Arsenal's driving force, Patrick Vieira, saying: "He is strong and powerful but now he has to come to terms with the different attitudes and movement that there is in English football. There is more tempo, pace and aggression but he has the same qualities as Vieira."
Michael Owen, who was rested for the Leeds game, should start against Spartak but it remains to be seen whether Owen will be paired with Milan Baros, who he replaced late on at Elland Road or play the lone striker role. Whatever the line-up it is not only the team that requires goals from Michael but the player himself. He has fallen well down the Premiership scoring chart and needs the fillip that can only come from hitting the back of the net and what better opportunity than coming up against Spartak's porous defence?
Moscow prop up the group having conceded ten goals in their three games thus far and they have yet to register a single goal in this group but Liverpool must exercise caution as the Russian side will want to recover some of the face they have obviously lost in a dismal showing in the group stage to date.
Liverpool's normally resolute defence should be up to the task of keeping the Spartak attack at bay but in the opposite direction the midfield need to support their own attack with a little more presence around the box than has been evident in the Premiership.
Houllier added: "A good result in Moscow would be history - no British team has won there against Spartak. It is like when we went to Kiev at the same time last year and became the first British side to win there.
"We are looking to win the game because it would put us in a good position in the group. Moscow are a bit like Leeds in the sense you have to get at them from the start and we will try to keep them at bay. And I'm hoping Emile Heskey will be okay to play."
