THE WEEKEND PREVIEWS 07-Mar-03

Smudger looks ahead to some of the more intriguing league clashes - kicking off with the only Premiership encounter at Anfield.

Millennium Stadium hero Michael Owen has called on his teammates to take their Wothington Cup form into the league and as Liverpool prepare for the Premiership's only clash this weekend he says: "We do need to develop as a team. We are not the finished article but we need to develop and to go forward. Defensively we are very good, but we still have to improve to be considered among the very top sides."

Gerard Houllier's defensive tactics have brought no shortage of criticism and whilst the need to keep things tight at the back is obvious, Owen reckons the Reds have got to start expressing themselves more in attacking areas and adds: "We have one of the best defences in the league, if not the best, but we have to develop more as a team going forward. Obviously we have to improve a bit but I'm sure that is going to happen."

The Liverpool boss will not be able to keep faith with the team which triumphed over Manchester United last Sunday because Emile Heskey, substituted during the final, is still struggling with a hamstring strain (he'll be replaced by Milan Baros, who should partner Owen) and Stephane Henchoz has undergone a calf operation which will keep him out for at least a month. Djimi Traore could partner Sami Hyypia.

Losing Henchoz at such a crucial stage of the season is a blow to Houllier, but the manager says: "I am hopeful Stephane will be able to play for us again before the end of the season. He flew back to Paris with me on Monday and then on to Geneva to see a specialist, but we already had an idea as to what the problem was."

About the enforced changes for the visit of Bolton, Houllier added: "We'll always miss good players, obviously, but we have Djimi Traore, whose best position is centre-back, and we have Igor Biscan. Jamie Carragher can play there as well."

For Bolton, midfielder Kevin Nolan is hopeful of a return to the team against his hometown club, whilst Per Frandsen returns after suspension. But Henrik Pedersen (shoulder), Paul Warhurst (calf) and Mike Whitlow (knee) are all missing as manager Sam Allardyce considers whether to give on-loan strikers Salva Ballesta and Pierre-Yves Andre their full debuts.

SMUDGER'S VERDICT: Boosted by their Worthington Cup success, the Reds will be buzzing and too hot for Bolton to handle. Home win by a couple of clear goals.

Since their 6-0 drubbing by Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks ago, Stoke have hauled themselves off the bottom and out of the relegation zone with 1-0 wins against Walsall and Brighton, earlier this week. But, according to City boss Tony Pulis, the hard work starts now and he says: "We won't get carried away because there is still a long way to go. It will be a very difficult game at Ipswich but the Brighton result keeps us in with a chance and we will keep battling on."

After losing three games out of four, Ipswich have rekindled their hopes of forcing their way into the play-off picture by stringing together a three-match unbeaten run which included a derby victory over Norwich and a draw at Wolves this week when late substitutes Martijn Reuser and goalscorer Richard Naylor combined for a vital equaliser six minutes from time. Manager Joe Royle said of his late gamble: "There's no point having too many defenders back when we're chasing a game and I just wanted to get forwards on."

Both Naylor and Reuser could have earned themselves first XI starts tomorrow after their rescue act at Molineux, whilst Royle is hoping Marcus Bent and John McGreal get the all-clear after hamstring and back problems, respectively. Defender Hermann Hreidarsson returns from suspension.

Stoke boss Pulis, meanwhile, has named Middlesbrough's Mark Crossley in his squad after securing the services of the veteran keeper for the second time this sesaon. But City could be without defender Wayne Thomas for the clash at Portman Road after sustaining a calf injury against Brighton on Wednesday. If he fails a fitness test Frazer Richardson, who replaced Thomas in the week, will deputise whilst Clive Clarke may return to the squad for the first time since November following his recovery from a knee ligament injury.

When you've just endured a mammoth return journey to Plymouth and been thumped 6-1, the last thing you need is the runaway league leaders pitching up at your place. But that's the task facing Peterborough tomorrow as they look to bounce back from the midweek mauling, which manager Barry Fry reckoned was no less than they deserved on the night.

He said: "We were never at the races. The lads have done brilliantly with five successive clean sheets on the road before this but at the end of the day we could have conceded ten. It was an absolute shambles and an embarrassment." The only consolation for Fry was that star striker Leon McKenzie, fighting for match fitness after recovering from a long-term injury, was on target for the second successive game and got 45 minutes of action under his belt. But looking ahead to the visit of Wigan, Fry warned: "If we play like that again it will be a cricket score."

Despite Posh's thorough thrashing at Home Park, Wigan boss Paul Jewell is refusing to take their struggling opponents lightly and says: "It is going to be difficult at Peterborough because they are fighting for their lives and Saturday will be no different. They will be disappointed with their result during the week and they are in the relegation scrap but like a vast majority of teams they have some something to play for. But our away record is good and we will be going down there looking for three points to take us closer to promotion."

SMUDGER'S VERDICT: I'm probably allowing my heart to rule my head, but I'm going for a shock home win for Posh - with Leon McKenzie on the mark again.

Boston currently stand seven places off the bottom spot they occupied for much of the first half of the season having lost just two games in the last eight. They are proving to be a more resilient outfit thesedays, as they showed by holding out with nine men for a goalless draw at Swansea in the week. Manager Neil Thompson was far from impressed with referee Paul Taylor and said: "The referee was very poor. It seems that people in power do not understand that this is our living. We want to survive, and people who are put in charge didn't do their job right during the game. I feel quite sure we will be appealing against both sendings-off." Thompson is hopeful midfielder James Gould will be available for the clash with fellow strugglers Carlisle and striker Peter Costello, who returned to action against Swansea after a two-month injury lay-off, will keep his place.

Carlisle boss Roddy Collins, meanwhile, has to wait on the fitness of three players before finalising his starting line-up as Craig Farrell (leg), Richie Foran (groin) and Craig Russell (thigh) have all been undergoing treatment. Mark Hudson comes into consideration but Lee Maddison (hamstring) will miss out. Having led his side to the final of the LDV Vans final in the week, Collins is now firmly focussed on the fight to beat the drop and says: "Winning at Boston on Saturday is more important than getting through to the final in Cardiff. We wouldn't want to win the cup and finish second-bottom of Division Three and lose our Football League place."

SMUDGER'S VERDICT: A tough one to call and a draw looks a reasonable bet, but I'm going for Boston to shade it by the odd goal.