Rafa Benitez insists Liverpool will go on attack against Inter

Mar 11 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

CONFIDENT Rafael Benitez has urged Liverpool to go for the throat tonight as they aim to complete their Italian job against Inter Milan.

But the Anfield outfit will be without Xabi Alonso for their Champions League first knockout round second leg clash after the midfielder opted to remain on Merseyside to attend the birth of his first child.

Alonso’s girlfriend, Nagore, was due to give birth on Saturday but had still not gone into labour before the team departed from John Lennon Airport yesterday morning. The Spain international was prepared to join up with the rest of the squad in Milan after the birth.

But an unimpressed Benitez dismissed the suggestion to instantly cast fresh doubt over Alonso’s Anfield future.

Alonso had only just regained his place in the first team, starting the last three games of a season that has been hampered by a metatarsal injury and subsequent lack of form.

The 26-year-old has previously been a regular in the starting line-up following his arrival from Real Sociedad in August 2004.

Of Alonso’s absence, Benitez said: “Alonso’s girlfriend is having a baby so he will not be here. We can’t change that, so we need to think what we can do with the other players.

“Xabi had a clear idea about what he wanted to do. Xabi wanted to come if everything was okay, but we couldn’t wait. We had to make the decision. I couldn’t wait, wait, wait, so I have the rest of the squad.

“We are considering different options as we have some players who we cannot go with. We will analyse how the team is in the training session, and then we’ll see.

“Maybe we might change the formation because, without Xabi, we might decide to do some other things.”

With no Alonso, Lucas Leiva is in line for a return in midfield alongside Javier Mascherano, who has recovered from the muscle injury that forced him to miss the weekend win over Newcastle United.

Liverpool will defend a 2-0 lead from the first leg, a scoreline that has not been overturned in 14 previous attempts since the inception of the Champions League.

Although the Anfield side have twice won European Cup finals in Italy, the only time they have scored in seven other visits to the country to face Serie A opposition was the 2-0 UEFA Cup win over Roma in 2001.

An away goal tonight would leave Inter needing to score four times, and Benitez is convinced his team will not simply sit back and defend.

“We know that we cannot defend for a long time against a very good team,” he said. “We need to attack and score if possible.

“We have to behave as if we have to win the game. We have to think the game is 0-0. If we can get through, I will be really proud.

“We know Torres is now on fire. His understanding with Gerrard is good, but the team is playing well. We have confidence, but we know we need to score and Torres can be the key player for us.”

While Liverpool have won all four games since the first leg on February 19, Inter’s 2-0 win over Reggina on their club’s centenary on Saturday was their first since.

Daniel Agger and Steve Finnan didn’t travel to Milan, although Andriy Voronin is likely to be on bench after recovering from his ankle problem.

Although Alvaro Arbeloa is available, Jamie Carragher could move across to right-back with Sami Hyypia joining Martin Skrtel in central defence.

Carragher will become the first Liverpool player to reach 100 games in European competition this evening, and Benitez said: “When you talk about such a number of games, it shows how important the player is for us.

“He has a very good mentality, his commitment is fantastic and is a key player for us for now and for the future.”

TONIGHT’S officials are from Norway, with Tom Henning Ovrebo the referee.