Week 1 Preview: Sunderland v. Liverpool

By: Patrick | August 15th, 2008

The first game of the season arrives this Saturday against title-contenders Liverpool. Will the game be a competitive as the rival “Only One Keano” chants? Let’s look at the match-ups.

Image from Eurosport.

Attack

Both sides made significant additions in the off-season with Liverpool adding the other Keano to an already potent strike force featuring Euro 2008 hero Fernando Torres and the Black Cats picking up former Merseysider legend – although not for the right reasons – El-Hadji Diouf.
Kenwyne Jones will be out for the next two months and his presence alongside a playmaker like Diouf will be sorely missed.

Advantage: Liverpool

Midfield

Sunderland’s addition of Steed Malbranque provides a spark that was missing from last year’s attack. Steed will provide that missing link between the midfield and the strikers with new signing Teemu Taino taking care of the heavy lifting the middle of the park.

Andy Reid and Kieran Richardson should provide a good amount of width on the outside, but Sunderland won’t be able to match tenacity of Liverpool hardman Javier Mascherano and the skill of Steven Gerrard in the middle.

Advantage: Liverpool

Defense

Craig Gordon will be solid – as expected – between the sticks, but the four in front of him will struggle to handle the pace and power of Torres and Keane. After Jonny Evans returned to Manchester United from last year’s loan spell, the middle of the defense is looking porous.
Danny Collins – last year’s Supporter’s Association Player of the Year – is a shoe-in to start at left-back with new signee Pascal Chimbonda slotting in on the right. But this won’t help when Torres breaks through a center pairing the likes of Nosworthy and Higginbotham.

Liverpool added Andrea Dossena from Udinese to fill the spot vacated by John Arne Risse, who left for Liverpool, and have a solid pairing of Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher that will frustrate Sunderland attackers throughout the game.

Advantage: Liverpool

Final Call

Liverpool’s attack will be too much for a less-than-stingy Sunderland defense. Sunderland will make use of its strengths on the wings of the defense and midfield, but Liverpool’s solid pairings up the middle will eventually prove to be too much.

Liverpool 2 – 1 Sunderland