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West Brom vs Liverpool: Reds hope to bounce back from FA Cup semi-final loss

A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at The Hawthorns

Danny Gallagher

Friday 24 April 2015 21:42 BST

Brendan Rodgers on the sidelines during Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa (Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers and his Liverpool side will feel they have a point to prove this weekend, as they travel to the Midlands seeking to make amends. Unfortunately for the Northern Irishman, retribution cannot be sought against Aston Villa, who prevailed over the Reds in last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final, but instead their close neighbours West Bromwich Albion.

Sitting in thirteenth in the league and eight points above the cess pit of the relegation zone, West Brom will have little fear of having to vacate their Premier League locker just yet, as a couple more wins should see their confirmed safety. Manager Tony Pulis has admitted 40 points is the target he has set for his Baggies, who registered a morale boosting 2-0 victory over mid-table dwellers Crystal Palace last Saturday.

West Brom fell 2-1 at the hands of Liverpool back in October, when then manager Alan Irvine saw his side level the score at 1-1 on 56 minutes, only to lose out to a Jordan Henderson winner. The Baggies have a near enough full squad going into this weekend’s encounter, with only Craig Dawson expected to miss out with a knee injury.

10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

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1/1010 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Steven Gerrard

The Liverpool captain is a certainty to leave this year as he has announced a move to Major League Soccer franchise LA Galaxy, following in the footsteps of his former England team-mate David Beckham and ex-Reds colleague Robbie Keane. Having made his Liverpool debut in 1998, the final Premier League game this season – against Stoke – will bring the curtain down on a tremendous career at Anfield.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Brad Jones

The goalkeeper situation at Liverpool is a tricky one, given that Rodgers elected to drop first-choice Simon Mignolet earlier in the season after his poor run of form up to Christmas. In came Brad Jones, but the back-up was far from convincing and suffered an injury which allowed Mignolet to return to the starting line-up and rekindle something of his best form. The club are believed to be actively searching for a goalkeeper to provide competition for Mignolet, which would likely spell the end of Jones’ five-year stay at Anfield.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Glen Johnson

The England defender has been hampered by injuries this season and has fallen down the pecking order on the international stage as a result. His current deal expires at the end of the season, and with no sign of a new offer coming his way – given his current £120,000-a-week wages – it looks as though the 30-year-old will be available for a free transfer in the summer.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Kolo Toure

While Johnson is on his way out, Kolo Toure has the option of whether to stay at Anfield or move on. The club have offered him a new short-term contract with his current deal expiring in just over two months. However, while the Ivory Coast international mulls over his future, the belief is that he could hold the key in luring his brother Yaya Toure to the club should he leave Manchester City.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Martin Skrtel

A third defender could be set for an exit with Martin Skrtel’s future far from clear. The Slovakian captain is yet to agree a new contract, and German club Wolfsburg have emerged as a possible suitor for the 30-year-old should he decide to leave the club in the summer.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Javier Manquillo

The Spanish full-back in currently on a season-long loan deal with the club from Spanish side Atletico Madrid, with the Reds holding an option to sign him on a permanent transfer in the summer. Having appeared both on the right and the left of defence as well as further forward in midfield, Manquillo has struggled to tie-down a permanent position in Rodgers’ side, and the club are unlikely to take-up the option to complete a permanent move for him, paving the way for him to move back to Madrid.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Raheem Sterling

Much has been made over the interest in Raheem Sterling given his refusal to sign a new £100,000-a-year contract with the club. Sterling has put off talks until the end of the season, but with two years remaining in his current deal, the club stress they will not be forced to sell this summer. That could change though should Manchester City or Chelsea come calling with a large offer, while European heavyweights Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and most recently Juventus are continuing to be linked with a move.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Mario Balotelli

The Italian’s £16m move from AC Milan has been nothing short of a disaster, and he looks set to leave the club in the summer after just one season with the club. Balotelli has failed to find anything close to his best, and with Rodgers losing patience over the 24-year-old, who recently ruled himself out of two important matches in their hunt for a top-four finish, it appears his stay at the club will be brought to a premature end.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Rickie Lambert

Rickie Lambert arrived in the summer in a fairy-tale story that culminated a full circle, having been released by the club he supported when he was a young boy. With a relatively cheap £4m transfer fee from Southampton, Liverpool hinted that Lambert would never be the go-to striker, but even by those standards he has seen his opportunities significantly limited, and needs to leave the club in the summer if he is to make anything of the later years of his career.

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10 players who could leave Liverpool this summer

Fabio Borini

Another Italian striker who was determined to show Rodgers just what he was made of proved he couldn’t cut it at the club. Fabio Borini rejected a second loan spell with Sunderland in order to admirably fight for his place, but the return of Daniel Sturridge and Rodgers’ decision to push Sterling further forward limited Borini to brief cameos from the bench at best. The expectation is that he will join Balotelli and Lambert in being shipped on this summer.

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Liverpool enter the tie knowing anything but a win essentially kills their season dead in its ungainly tracks. With a vague shred of hope of Manchester City dropping points and leaving the door of the Champions League race ajar, the Reds must seize every opportunity from now until the end of the season, starting with victory at the expense of the Midlands club.

Rodgers faces a selection conundrum this weekend, after starting captain Steven Gerrard at Wembley and shifting his formation pack throughout the tie more times than a busy blackjack dealer. With midfielder Lucas Leiva again likely to miss out through injury, Rodgers needs to decide whether to slot Emre Can into his natural central midfield birth, or stick with his tried and tested back three defence with supporting wing-backs. The question of whether Steven Gerrard will again receive a starting call will be the topic of much curiosity.

KICK OFF: Saturday, 3.00pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS…

Liverpool 2 (Lallana, Henderson) West Brom 1 (Berahino) Premier League, October 2014.

West Brom 1 (Anichebe) Liverpool 1 (Sturridge) Premier League, February 2014.

Liverpool 4 (Suárez (3) Sturridge) West Brom 1 (Morrison) Premier League, October 2013.

STATS…

Brendan Rodgers’ first Premier League game in charge of the Reds came at The Hawthorns in 2012, where the Baggies emerged 3-0 victors.

West Brom striker Saido Berahino has featured in every single game for the Baggies this season.

A clean sheet for Liverpool will put goalkeeper Simon Mignolet level at the top with Southampton’s Fraser Forster with 13 shut-outs this season.

ODDS…

West Brom to win – 3

Liverpool to win – 1

Draw – 5/2

TV: Match of the day highlights, 10.30pm

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