Liverpool dreaming of repeat glory

PARIS – The Champions League returns this week after the winter recess with titleholders Liverpool in high spirits for the last-16 first leg tie at Benfica buoyed by their weekend FA Cup victory over age-old rivals Manchester United.

After a difficult few weeks, during which the Reds lost three matches in a row away from home, Liverpool have responded in style, winning three straight matches and beating Arsenal and United in the space of a single week. Manager Rafael Benitez is in confident mood and believes his side has proved its doubters wrong following 2-0 defeats at Chelsea and Charlton and a 1-0 reverse at Old Trafford in the Premiership.”We were told we were slipping, having a blip, but three wins on the bounce is our answer to that,” he said.”We can look forward now to the rest of the season with real confidence.”Giant striker Peter Crouch, who scored the FA Cup winner against United on Saturday, said his team have proved in the last few weeks that they can compete with, and beat, the best.”Considering the win came only a few days after we’ve beaten Arsenal the last couple of results have given us a real boost,” he said.”There is so much now left to play for this season.We are in three huge competitions still, and we want to do as well as we can.”The Portuguese champions geared up for the match in Lisbon with a dismal 2-0 defeat at lowly Guimaraes, their third loss in a row.Coach Ronald Koeman is also facing an attacking crisis with Brazilian Geovanni, Italian Fabrizio Miccoli and French winger Laurent Robert all ruled out.In Spain faltering Arsenal are the visitors as a resurgent Real Madrid look to continue their stunning form under new coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro.Real have won all but two games this calendar year, drawing 0-0 with Villarreal on January 8 and then suffering a bizarre 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Real Zaragoza in the Spanish Cup earlier this month.But in nearly every other game, the nine-time European champions have been all but unstoppable.England captain David Beckham will realise a dream when he turns out in the white of Real against English opposition for the first time but he is wary of the north Londoners despite their recent record of six defeats in their last 11 away matches.”Every team goes through a bad patch and, at times like this, it’s useful to come up against a good team, like us,” said Beckham.In other games also on Tuesday, runaway German league leaders Bayern Munich are sweating over the availability of Germany keeper Oliver Khan, who has a thigh strain, ahead of the visit of AC Milan.Last season’s beaten finalists have rediscovered their form just in time after a difficult period in December where they slipped almost out of contention for the Italian title.But Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Cagliari pulled them back to within 10 points of champions Juventus.In the final match, French champions Lyon are looking for revenge as they travel to Dutch league leaders PSV Eindhoven.PSV knocked an in-form Lyon team out of last season’s competition on penalties after two 1-1 draws.Tuesday’s gamesReal Madrid (ESP) v Arsenal (ENG) Bayern Munich (GER) v AC Milan (ITA) PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Lyon (FRA) Benfica (POR) v Liverpool (ENG)-Nampa-AFPManager Rafael Benitez is in confident mood and believes his side has proved its doubters wrong following 2-0 defeats at Chelsea and Charlton and a 1-0 reverse at Old Trafford in the Premiership.”We were told we were slipping, having a blip, but three wins on the bounce is our answer to that,” he said.”We can look forward now to the rest of the season with real confidence.”Giant striker Peter Crouch, who scored the FA Cup winner against United on Saturday, said his team have proved in the last few weeks that they can compete with, and beat, the best.”Considering the win came only a few days after we’ve beaten Arsenal the last couple of results have given us a real boost,” he said.”There is so much now left to play for this season.We are in three huge competitions still, and we want to do as well as we can.”The Portuguese champions geared up for the match in Lisbon with a dismal 2-0 defeat at lowly Guimaraes, their third loss in a row.Coach Ronald Koeman is also facing an attacking crisis with Brazilian Geovanni, Italian Fabrizio Miccoli and French winger Laurent Robert all ruled out.In Spain faltering Arsenal are the visitors as a resurgent Real Madrid look to continue their stunning form under new coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro.Real have won all but two games this calendar year, drawing 0-0 with Villarreal on January 8 and then suffering a bizarre 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Real Zaragoza in the Spanish Cup earlier this month.But in nearly every other game, the nine-time European champions have been all but unstoppable.England captain David Beckham will realise a dream when he turns out in the white of Real against English opposition for the first time but he is wary of the north Londoners despite their recent record of six defeats in their last 11 away matches.”Every team goes through a bad patch and, at times like this, it’s useful to come up against a good team, like us,” said Beckham.In other games also on Tuesday, runaway German league leaders Bayern Munich are sweating over the availability of Germany keeper Oliver Khan, who has a thigh strain, ahead of the visit of AC Milan.Last season’s beaten finalists have rediscovered their form just in time after a difficult period in December where they slipped almost out of contention for the Italian title.But Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Cagliari pulled them back to within 10 points of champions Juventus.In the final match, French champions Lyon are looking for revenge as they travel to Dutch league leaders PSV Eindhoven.PSV knocked an in-form Lyon team out of last season’s competition on penalties after two 1-1 draws.Tuesday’s games Real Madrid (ESP) v Arsenal (ENG) Bayern Munich (GER) v AC Milan (ITA) PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Lyon (FRA) Benfica (POR) v Liverpool (ENG) -Nampa-AFP