11/9 Howard: Man Utd @ Liverpool {R}

Timmy apt to start in a battle between two Premiership rivals who need no introduction to one another.

Debatedly, Liverpool need the game worse than do the Red Devils, lying in eighth place currently but could go as high as fifth should they win at Anfield.

Man Utd are third right now, but could leapfrog Chelsea for second with a win.

TV-wise, live on Fox Sports World in the USA, 1:45 p.m. kickoff locally, so that makes it (and correct me if I'm wrong) 8:45 a.m. ET/5:45 a.m. PT.

The game's also live across Australia at 11:30-ish Melbourne time on Fox Sports 1, but I likely won't be able to get to it since (a) I don't have that channel on my cable system at home and (b) while it's on the cable system at work, chances are I won't be able to get around to it as we're trying to put the Monday paper to bed here. So I'll have to rule myself out from doing the PbP, for such a vital match.

And as I'm at work right now, I'll endeavour to do the news round-up, but I'll toss in the articles whenever I can.

 

* * *I'm William, and here's the news* * *

• Preview, from 4thegame.com: http://www.4thegame.com/previews/form140222/lfcmufc.html
  
• From sportinglife.com, the latest team news: http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...OCCER_Liverpool_Dudek.html&TEAMHD=premiership
  
• Also from sportinglife.com, "Howard makes most of TV times": http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...soccer/03/11/08/SOCCER_Man_Utd_Nightlead.html
  
• "Key battles", from sportinglife.com: http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...er/03/11/07/SOCCER_Liverpool_Key_battles.html
  
• Also from sportinglife.com, "Fergie won't write off the Reds": http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...=soccer/03/11/08/SOCCER_Man_Utd_Ferguson.html
  
• Also from sportinglife.com, "Reds gear up for ultimate test": http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...occer/03/11/08/SOCCER_Liverpool_Houllier.html
  
• Also from sportinglife.com, "No early retirement for Fergie" (yes, perhaps another contract extension for Sir Alex): http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...=soccer/03/11/09/SOCCER_Man_Utd_Ferguson.html
  
• From the BBC's site, "Ferguson set for new deal": http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/3254371.stm
  
• Also from the Beeb, their match preview, full of facts and figures: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3233009.stm
  
• From skysports.com, "Ferguson close to new United deal": http://www.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,7-1110605,00.html
  
• Also from skysports.com, their match preview: http://www.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,53-1110477,00.html
  
• From Yahoo's UK site, via TeamTalk, "Howard hears no evil" (brief article, but great comments from Timmy): http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/031109/21/edg88.html
  
• From the same source, "Gunners main worry -- Silvestre": http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/031109/21/edg89.html

A couple of different articles about Tim Howard in there.

And mind you, that's an incomplete list of all articles above. I'm at work, so I don't have access to my bookmarks, so I'm operating off of memory.

If anyone else has any other pre-game links and wants to post them, go for it. I'm particularly interested in what the official team sites are saying, as well as the local papers in Manchester and Liverpool.

 

Hope for a nil-all draw, I guess.

kind of like I picked in someone's EPL prediction league contest

 

That would be the one... no comment.

Sounds like another kind of moral victory... for some on this board.

Mind you, I've run out of smilies on this post.

 

I will, in a minute. Just sped home from the office, and I hope that the taxi driver didn't break any speed laws in doing so. But hey, if there are no Victorian police around, are speed limits actually broken?

But hey, get me any of those female cops from "Blue Heelers"... I'll try to flirt my way out of a ticket.

OK, Aussie references aside...

Anyone got lineups yet?

 

Another article, from Manchester Online...

"Tim a Red for keeps, says Mo"

http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/s...terunited/stories/Detail_LinkStory=72421.html

Mo Johnston thinks so...

 

Go for it. I can't get the game here.

 

I'll go dig up the lineups.

And if anyone from the cable company I'm subscribing with in Ballarat is lurking in, please, for the love of what's right and good, add Fox Sports 1 & 2, stat. Damn, even add Fox Sports World from the USA, fr good measure as well.

Not happy right now.

 

Timmy starts.

Lineups...

LIVERPOOL
1. Jerzy Dudek
3. Steve Finnan
25. Igor Biscan
4. Sami Hyypia
21. Djimi Traore
9. El Hadji Diouf
13. Danny Murphy
17. Steven Gerrard
11. Vladimir Smicer
8. Emile Heskey
7. Harry Kewell

Subs
22. Chris Kirkland (GK)
15. Salif Alassane Diao
18. John Arne Riise
20. Anthony Le Tallec
24. Florent Sinama Pongolle

MANCHESTER UNITED
14. Tim Howard
2. Gary Neville
5. Rio Ferdinand
27. Mikael Silvestre
22. John O'Shea
25. Quinton Fortune
3. Phil Neville
16. Roy Keane
11. Ryan Giggs
10. Ruud van Nistelrooy
21. Diego Forlan

Subs
13. Roy Carroll (GK)
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
8. Nicky Butt
19. Eric Djemba-Djemba
24. Darren Fletcher

 

Still, Howard needs a bit more of a challenge than he's been getting lately in Premiership matches.

This game should provide exactly that, Owen or no Owen.