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Reina issues rallying call

Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina has called on his team-mates to show "heart, passion and belief" following their draw in Lyon.

The 1-1 scoreline leaves the Reds Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

Liverpool led through Ryan Babel's thunderbolt only for Lisandro Lopez to pop up with a last-gasp equaliser, meaning Rafael Benitez's side must now win their two remaining games in Group E and hope already-qualified Lyon can do them a favour against Fiorentina if they are to reach the last 16.

It is an unlikely scenario but Spanish goalkeeper Reina is refusing to give up hope.

"We must continue to show heart, passion and belief," he said.

"If anyone can do this, Liverpool can. But now it (qualification) is not in our own hands, it does not only depend on what we do.

"We were unlucky, but we must keep fighting until we have more options with players getting fit again.

"I felt we had done enough to have won, and deserved it too. Maybe not beforehand in the previous matches when we did not play well.

"But this was different, this was a much better performance. When we play like we did in Lyon, we know we are good enough.

"Now it is very, very difficult for us. But we must show strong character and fight right to the end. We know we have enough good players to sort this out.

"The players will take heart from this, at least we know we are getting back to the form we know we should be producing every week."

Failure to qualify for the knockout stages would have financial implications for the Merseysiders but Reina denies it would be a disaster, adding: "I do not accept that not going through will be a disaster for the club.

"We have been in the Champions League now for several years, one failure is not a disaster.

"Not many teams have reached the semi-final twice and two finals - including a title victory - in the last few seasons. It can happen again, we get closer to our real form with every game.

"Any team would miss the quality of the players who are injured at the moment, but we have others who can play and who can produce the right performances to get us out of this mess."

Stand-in skipper Jamie Carragher is another yet to give up hope.

He said: "We still believe we will get through. We know it is going to be difficult but we are not out of it yet. All we can do is win our next two games and see what happens.

"We have been in difficult positions before and come through like in 2005 when we had to win in Marseille to qualify. A draw in Lyon does not mean we're totally out of it."

Carragher was also quick to defend the under-fire Benitez, adding: "If you look at the manager's record in Europe; we've won it and been to the final, semi-final and quarter-finals. So our Champions League record under the manager has been superb."

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Milan move to boost Beckham's hopes

England midfielder David Beckham hopes his return loan move to AC Milan will be the boost that helps him realise his World Cup dream.

Under pressure from England coach Fabio Capello to stay sharp by playing at the highest level, the Los Angeles Galaxy star will arrive at the San Siro in January.

Both Beckham and the Italian club are excited about the reunion, with the 34-year-old having helped the San Siro outfit clinch a top-four finish last season to earn a place in the Champions League qualifying stages.

"David Beckham and Milan, Milan and David Beckham. The relationship is serious, the handshake is solid," read a statement on the club's official website, www.acmilan.com.

"The arrival of the English champion on December 20 last year at (Milan's) Malpensa airport was just the first step of a beautiful adventure, that continued with reciprocal satisfaction."

Beckham, who earned the admiration of the Milan fans and his team-mates during his first spell at the club, is eager to again deliver.

"I needed to give myself the best possible opportunity to go to the World Cup and to play on loan for Milan will help me to do that," said Beckham.

"I really enjoyed my previous experience at Milan and I can't wait to see the team and the staff again."

Milan coach Leonardo predicted at the weekend that Beckham's return would bring a further touch of quality and experience to his side.

"I consider Beckham as if he had always been here because he has only been away for six months," said Leonardo, who acted as assistant to Carlo Ancelotti last season.

"He will be a player that will contribute a lot not only on the pitch but also inside the squad, as the players like him infinitely."

Midfielder Clarence Seedorf believes Beckham's arrival will have a positive impact.

"Beckham can certainly help Milan," said Seedorf. "We became friends during his loan spell here, and for that reason it would make me happy to see him return.

"It will be good for Milan and for him too because it would be a pity not to see him in the World Cup.

"He is a player who has already made an important contribution to Milan, and I am convinced that he will continue to do so."
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Gerrard misses Lyon trip, Torres travels

Steven Gerrard has been ruled out of Liverpool's Champions League trip to Lyon, but Fernando Torres will be on the plane.

Although Gerrard has now played just 25 minutes of five matches since he sustained a groin injury while on England duty, boss Rafael Benitez has delayed any decision on whether his captain needs an operation.

Club sources suggest that Benitez is happy that Gerrard's treatment is progressing well and that the player's injury problem is improving.

If Gerrard does have an operation on his groin, it will rule him out for a month and he would be unlikely to play again until mid-December.

Liverpool are trying to avoid that eventuality, and Benitez will assess the midfielder's fitness levels again when the Anfield men return from Wednesday's match.

Gerrard will then have more intensive treatment ahead of the club's next league match, at home to Birmingham on Monday.

Torres will travel with the party, having been taken off at Fulham on Saturday after a hour to protect his adductor muscle injury.

Albert Riera (hamstring), Martin Kelly (ankle) and Martin Skrtel (muscle and virus), are also definitely out of the Group E match that Liverpool must win if they want to retain any serious hopes of qualifying for the last 16.

But £20million Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani will be available for selection after recovering from a virus.

Benitez said: "Aquilani trained today but was a little bit weak. Hopefully in two days' time he will be better.

"Gerrard won't travel to Lyon. He has no chance. He is improving but we have to wait. He has had an injection but we have to wait two or three days and see how he reacts.

"Skrtel has no chance. He has a small muscle problem. It's not too big but he is feeling something."

Meanwhile, the Liverpool manager will make late fitness calls on the recovering Daniel Agger (back), Glen Johnson (calf), Fabio Aurelio (calf) and David Ngog (ankle), none of whom travelled to Craven Cottage.

Benitez said: "Agger is improving - he will travel and we will then decide. He felt something in his back but it's much better now. We have to wait and see how he reacts.

"Fabio is improving but he still has a small problem in his calf, so we will have to wait. Ngog is much better, so he could be available.

"Johnson is training and working with the physios but he is a doubt at this moment. He will travel to Lyon and we will see."

Benitez again explained his decision to substitute Torres at Fulham, saying: "I was surprised with the criticism after the game because Fernando has had problems in the last month after the international games.

"We are trying to manage because he was close to having an operation. Still this morning, two days after the game, he is feeling something.

"He is not comfortable. He has not got the power he had before, so we have to manage and try to protect him. He cannot play well if you keep pushing him. Maybe if you push him he will be injured for a long time.

"So, I am really surprised with the critics. When you talk about big names, people just analyse the names and not how the player is when he is on the pitch. He was not 100% fit.

"We have to take Fernando to Lyon because we don't have too many options. We have to keep working with him and the rest of the players."

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Premier League Saturday Team News

Here's all the team news and previews ahead of Saturday night's Barclays Premier League matches.

Bolton vs Chelsea

Chelsea have doubts over striker Salomon Kalou and defender Branislav Ivanovic ahead of their trip to Bolton.

Both will undergo late fitness tests after collecting minor knocks in the Carling Cup win over Wanderers in midweek.

But Ashley Cole (ankle), Jose Bosingwa (knee), Yury Zhirkov (knee), John Mikel Obi (knee) and Hilario (concussion) are all out.

However, Chelsea welcome back John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Nicolas Anelka, Michael Essien and Frank Lampard. They were all rested in midweek.

Bolton boss Gary Megson has an almost fully fit squad to pick from.

Striker Johan Elmander made his return to first-team action after a hamstring injury when he came off the bench against Chelsea in the Carling Cup tie between the two teams on Wednesday night.

Only long-term absentees Joey O'Brien and Sean Davis, who both have knee problems, remain on the sidelines.

Teams:

Bolton (from): Jaaskelainen, Al Habsi, Ricketts, Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, A O'Brien, Samuel, Robinson, M Davies, Basham, Muamba, Cohen, McCann, Gardner, Taylor, K Davies, Klasnic, Lee, Elmander.

Chelsea (from): TBA


Man United vs Blackburn

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is facing a defensive headache ahead of the Premier League match against Blackburn at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are both doubtful with calf problems and Gary Neville is suspended.

Ryan Giggs also has a knock and Danny Welbeck, who scored in the Carling Cup victory against Barnsley in midweek, is sidelined with a knee injury.

Darren Fletcher and Ji-Sung Park remain absent with groin and knee injuries respectively.

Jason Roberts is the latest Blackburn player to come down with suspected swine flu.

The striker did not report to training on Friday morning and is almost certain to miss out.

One player also thought to have suffered with the virus is David Dunn, but the midfielder looked to be in good health when he came off the bench against Peterborough in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night, and is set to play again.

Another is Chris Samba, who is back in training but unlikely to feature as he is still feeling weak.

Pascal Chimbonda returns having recovered from his calf injury and Vince Grella is back in training after his thigh problem, but is unlikely to appear for the first team until next week.

Teams:

Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, O'Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Brown, J Evans, Evra, Anderson, Rafael, Carrick, Scholes, Valencia, Giggs, Rooney, Barbatov, Nani, Owen, Macheda, Obertan, Fabio, Tosic.

Blackburn (from): Robinson, Chimbonda, Salgado, Givet, Nelsen, Diouf, Andrews, Pedersen, Dunn, Brown, Jacobsen, Nzonzi, Emerton, Hoilett, Kalinic, McCarthy, Olsson, Jones, Di Santo.


Tottenham vs Arsenal

Manuel Almunia could be set for a recall to Arsenal's starting XI for Saturday's derby with Tottenham.

Arsene Wenger is likely to make several changes from the side which beat Liverpool in the Carling Cup in midweek but Lukas Fabianski (thigh), Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott (both knee) miss out.

Samir Nasri made his first appearance of the season against Liverpool after recovering from a broken leg and is likely to be on the bench on Saturday.

Teams:

Arsenal (from): Mannone, Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna, Eboue, Song, Fabregas, Diaby, Arshavin, van Persie, Almunia, Eduardo, Vela, Gibbs, Silvestre, Wilshere, Ramsey, Bendtner.

Tottenham (from): TBA


Fulham vs Liverpool

Steven Gerrard will miss his third successive Liverpool match on Saturday with the groin injury he picked up playing for England in Ukraine earlier this month.

Liverpool will also be without England full-back Glen Johnson (calf) for the game against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who made his first-team debut at Arsenal in the Carling Cup on Wednesday, has picked up a virus and will not be in the squad while Rafael Benitez will give a late test to Fernando Torres (groin) but expects him to be available.

Teams:

Fulham (from): TBA

Liverpool (from): Reina, Aurelio, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Insua, Babel, Lucas, Mascherano, Benayoun, Kuyt, Torres, Voronin, Ngog, Plessis, Spearing, Dossena, Cavalieri, Degen.

Everton vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel could make his 200th successive Premier League performance against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Friedel is likely to replace Brad Guzan even though his fellow American made three penalty shoot-out saves in the midweek Carling Cup win over Sunderland.

Defender Stephen Warnock is battling to overcome an ankle injury suffered against the Black Cats and Nicky Shorey could deputise if he is ruled out.

Striker Emile Heskey and midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker picked up knocks but Villa manager Martin O'Neill is hopeful of having them available.

John Carew and Steve Sidwell, who made way for the duo at the Stadium of Light, will be in contention for a recall to the starting line-up.

Everton could be without 10 senior players.

Defender Leighton Baines is poised to return from a calf injury, while striker Louis Saha, who has a similar problem, will be given time to prove his fitness.

Ayegbeni Yakubu is in contention for a place in the starting XI after overcoming his heel problem to play against Tottenham on Tuesday, while Joseph Yobo, who did not feature, could return after suffering concussion.

Teams:

Everton (from): Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Distin, Neill, Coleman, Gosling, Rodwell, Cahill, Jo, Saha, Fellaini, Nash, Duffy, Agard, Baxter, Wallace, Akpan, Yakubu, Baines, Yobo.

Aston Villa (from): Friedel, Guzan, Cuellar, Beye, Luke Young, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Shorey, Milner, Petrov, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Delph, Gardner, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Carew, Heskey, Delfouneso, Clark.

Sunderland vs West Ham

Sunderland striker Darren Bent is facing a race to be fit for Saturday's Premier League visit of West Ham, as he battles to overcome a knee problem.

The forward missed Tuesday's Carling Cup penalty shoot-out defeat by Aston Villa but is rated as better than 50-50 for the Hammers clash, after returning to training on Thursday

Fellow striker Fraizer Campbell is a doubt after suffering a knock against Villa, while Phil Bardsley (shoulder) and George McCartney (hip) are also touch-and-go.

Midfielder Bolo Zenden and centre-back John Mensah are ruled out. Lee Cattermole is a long-term absentee with knee ligament damage.

West Ham will be without Scott Parker.

The midfielder was sent off towards the end of last Sunday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal and serves a one-match ban, so Czech midfielder Radoslav Kovac comes in.

Kieron Dyer has suffered another setback and faces three weeks out with a hamstring problem picked up in training. Italian striker Alessandro Diamanti is pushing to start following his game-turning performance as a substitute against the Gunners.

Teams:

Sunderland (from): Gordon, Fulop, Bardsley, Da Silva, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, Turner, Richardson, McCartney, Reid, Malbranque, Cana, Henderson, Campbell, Jones, Bent, Healy, Murphy.

West Ham (from): Green, Ilunga, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Noble, Faubert, Behrami, Kovac, Collison, Cole, Diamanti, Kurucz, Spector, Da Costa, Stanislas, Jimenez, Franco, Hines.

Stoke vs Wolves

Wolves welcome back striker Stefan Maierhofer for Saturday's trip to Stoke in the Premier League after the Austrian served a one-match ban.

However manager Mick McCarthy is poised to name an unchanged starting line-up, with Maierhofer on the bench as Kevin Doyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake continue in attack.

On-loan Chelsea central defender Michael Mancienne is available again after missing the last two games through illness.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis is expected to recall goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen to his starting line-up following the Dane's late withdrawal at Tottenham last weekend with flu.

Steve Simonsen stepped in and performed heroics to secure a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane, and was again in the side that lost 4-0 at Portsmouth in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.

Pulis also has to decide whether to bring Mamady Sidibe into the reckoning after the striker's return to action at Fratton Park following a knee injury.

Tuncay also performed well at Portsmouth and could force his way into a side still missing the suspended Robert Huth.

Teams:

Stoke (from): Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Faye, Collins, Delap, Whelan, Whitehead, Diao, Etherington, Beattie, Tuncay, Fuller, Higginbotham, Cort, Lawrence, Kitson, Pugh, Simonsen, Sidibe.

Wolves (from): Hennessey, Hahnemann, Zubar, Stearman, Berra, Mancienne, Craddock, Elokobi, Hill, Kightly, Halford, Henry, Milijas, Surman, Castillo, Edwards, Jarvis, Ebanks-Blake, Iwelumo, Keogh, Maierhofer, Doyle.

Portsmouth vs Wigan

Wigan will be without Maynor Figueroa in their Premier League clash at Portsmouth on Saturday as he recovers from a knee injury.

The Honduran full-back is expected to be sidelined for up to seven weeks after suffering the setback in the victory against Burnley.

Paul Scharner is doubtful with a hamstring injury while goalkeeper Chris Kirkland remains troubled by a dislocated finger.

Portsmouth welcome back Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jamie O'Hara, Mike Williamson and Tommy Smith.

The quartet were cup-tied for Tuesday's Carling Cup win over Stoke.

Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) and Hermann Hreidarsson (foot tendon) are still recovering and will not feature against the Latics.

Teams:

Portsmouth (from): James, Kaboul, Mokoena, Mullins, Kanu, Basinas, Belhadj, Vanden Borre, Piquionne, Ben-Haim, Yebda, Dindane, Finnan, Webber, Brown, Wilson, Ashdown, O'Hara, Boateng, Williamson, Smith.

Wigan (from): Kirkland, Bramble, Scharner, Gomez, Melchiot, Boyce, N'Zogbia, Diame, Thomas, Scotland, Rodallega, Koumas, Sinclair, Pollitt, Cho, Kapo, Kingson, McCarthy.

Burnley vs Hull

Troubled Hull will be without goalkeeper Boaz Myhill for Saturday's vital trip to Burnley.

The Wales international injured his medial knee ligaments in the closing stages of last weekend's goalless draw with fellow strugglers Portsmouth and will sit out the clash, though under-pressure manager Phil Brown is hopeful he will not prove a long-term absentee.

Star midfielder Jimmy Bullard did not train with his team-mates on Thursday due to a shin injury and a decision is still to be made on his participation at Turf Moor.

Burnley boss Owen Coyle will give goalkeeper Brian Jensen "every chance" to recover from the injury he sustained in last weekend's home defeat to Wigan.

X-rays revealed the Burnley stopper, who has yet to resume full training, had suffered only slight ligament damage to his ankle so Diego Penny is on stand-by.

Stephen Jordan suffered a thigh strain in the same game but he is expected to recover in time.

The Clarets are still without long-term absentees Martin Paterson, Chris McCann (both knee) and Jay Rodriguez (ankle).

Teams:

Burnley (from): Jensen, Caldwell, Mears, Eckersley, Duff, Carlisle, Bikey, Jordan, Alexander, Fletcher, Elliott, Blake, Thompson, Eagles, Penny, Kalvanes, Gudjonsson, Edgar, Easton, Nugent, Guerrero.

Hull (from): Warner, Duke, McShane, Kilbane, Sonko, Dawson, Barmby, Marney, Zayatte, Geovanni, Hunt, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Ghilas, Mendy, Altidore, Bullard, Gardner, Mouyokolo, Olofinjana, Cousin, Halmosi, Boateng, Fagan, Garcia, Cooper, Atkinson, Featherstone.

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Leonardo: Milan have turned the corner

AC Milan coach Leonardo was ecstatic with his side after their 3-2 victory over Real Madrid, adding that his team is back to their best.

Milan fell behind early in the game, but roared back in the second half as they scored three goals to make a victorious comeback; recording their second victory in four days.

"Beyond the choices made by the coaches, this was a victory that was achieved through the collective spirit of the squad," Leonardo explained in an interview with Rai.

"Tonight we found the right way to channel our determination, and again, this had nothing to do with my choices, and the formations I deployed on the field.

"We continued our good form against Roma here tonight, when in the second half we were able to turn things around, despite being in a very difficult situation."

Milan's critics have slammed the Rossoneri for revving up their game only for European competitions in recent years, something Leonardo is keen to refute.

He continued, "Do we wake up only when we play in the Champions League? Absolutely not, and we demonstrated this on Sunday [against Roma]. Now we must continue this form, and bring this energy with us into the championship."

The Milan coach also took time to hail his young striker Alexandre Pato, who scored two goals to lead the team to a crucial win.

"Pato is an amazing player, and I did not discover that this evening. However, it's moments like these that solidify a player. He is a treasure to us, and I plan to always keep hold of him," he concluded.

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Ronaldo: We will win the treble!

Cristiano Ronaldo is convinced that Real Madrid will walk away with three trophies at the end of the season.

The Portuguese star has been out of action following an injury and in his absence, Madrid have slumped record poor results most notably their 4-0 trashing at the hands of Alcorcon in the Cope del Rey on Tuesday.

Ronaldo is eager to get back to full fitness and help his team out of their crisis but he will have to wait a few more days.

Speaking to AS, he declared: "That's already happened, we lost. The team has been hard hit by the defeat, but now the atmosphere is already different. These things happen. We are better than that and are going to get a result against Getafe,

"The solution is not to throw the coach out. There is no need to change anything, the team will come out of this rut. I am convinced we will win the League and Cup and the Champions [League],"

The former Manchester United winger also made known his intentions of making an early comeback.

He said: "The Milan is going to be a difficult game, but I am convinced we will get a result. If I am well enough I want to play against Alcorcon but only if I have recovered one hundred percent,"

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