The double-gameweeks start right here, right now as round two in the battle of the ‘Pools kicks off in the Premier league and the Dugout Disucssion opens it’s doors especially. Ian Holloway is playing host to his hero Kenny Dalglish and there’s all sorts of interesting tittle-tattle to take from this game…
Charlie Adam is considered one of the hot properties of this winter transfer window and now he has another chance to show just what he’s worth. Perversely, Liverpool are reported to have entered to race for the Scot so will want to see their target play a blinder but somehow come a cropper this evening.
As for the teams, the baby boom continues on Merseyside as new father Glen Johnson is drafted back into the Liverpool defence, seemingly at left-back with Fabio Aurelio not capable of two games in a week, Martin Kelly more than deserving of his place in the XI and Paul Konchesky very much on the bench and out of the fray. The midfield gets even stranger as two of Liverpool’s worst summer signings -Milan Jovanovic and Christian Poulsen- are drafted in. Can Kenny get out of them what Roy Hodgson couldn’t? I’m guessing we’ve got a 4-3-2-1 on our hands, but it’s hard to tell.
Blackpool meanwhile set out a fairly predictable side after the rest the FA Cup afforded the squad, Elliot Grandin has sufficiently recovered from injury to jump right back into the starting side. Line-ups in full are…
Blackpool XI: Kingson; Eardley, Evatt, Cathcart, Crainey; Adam, Vaughan, Grandin; Taylor-Fletcher, Campbell, Varney
Liverpool XI: Reina; Kelly, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson; Poulsen, Lucas; Kuyt, Meireles, Jovanovic; Torres
We will of course be keeping a close eye on affairs in the Carling Cup too. Arsenal are looking to get a head of steam on Ipswich in their first leg. The Dugout Discussion is of course on hand for anyone needing their Wednesday night fix.
