Baros left out in the cold by Liverpool
Dominic Fifield
Tuesday July 19, 2005
The Guardian
Rafael Benítez has paved the way for the imminent departures of Jerzy Dudek and Milan Baros from Liverpool by leaving the European Cup-winning pair out of this evening's Champions League qualifier against Total Network Solutions.
Their omission will ensure they are not cup-tied for continental competition this season and therefore maintain their market value, leaving them available for potential suitors competing in Europe. There has been interest in both players overthe close season, with Sporting Lisbon considering a move for Dudek, though neither has been actively seeking to leave.
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That may now change. Baros - who has been the subject of a bid from his former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier, now at Lyon, this summer - and Dudek remained in Switzerland yesterday when Benítez brought an 18-man party back from the club's pre-season training camp for tonight's second leg against TNS. The travelling party is otherwise at near full strength, despite the fact that the holders lead the Welsh champions 3-0 after last week's first leg.
Baros's agent Pavel Paska, aware that his client still has two years to run on his current deal, was due to hold talks with Benítez over the weekend to clarify the forward's future, though that meeting was postponed. Instead the discussions are expected to take place this week and are likely to prompt Paska to find a new club for the player.
Liverpool remain in dialogue with representatives of Luis Figo with a view to signing the Portuguese international on a free transfer from Real Madrid. The 32-year-old is currently in the United States with Real as negotiations continue with the Merseyside club and Internazionale, who are keen to sign him on a two-year deal. Should Figo opt for Liverpool he will presumably be joining a team who have safely negotiated their passage into the second qualifying round for the Champions League.
Not that Liverpool are taking their progress tonight for granted. The likes of Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso are included in the squad, though only one of the midfield pair is expected to play, with Dietmar Hamann set to start. Boudewijn Zenden, who is likely to begin his first competitive game on the left side of midfield, went as far as to urge caution last night.
"We can't say the tie is over because we're only at half-time at the moment," said the Holland international. "TNS gave a good account of themselves at Anfield. They were well organised, worked hard and in the end restricted us to just three goals."
"It might not be the strongest team we could select but it will still be a strong side against TNS," said Benítez. "We must be careful in the game because we don't want any surprises."
By the admission of their manager Ken McKenna, TNS's players have been running on empty since the first leg and have been restricted to light training sessions before the game at Wrexham's Racecourse ground. The Evertonian admitted he "feared" for his players last night because Liverpool now knew how to combat them.
"We can't surprise them now because we are no longer an unknown quantity," said McKenna. "The first leg took a lot out of us and we were stretched 30% more than we are used to. But we know we have to dig deep for the return leg. Our preparations have been low-key; we have to find the same kind of energy levels as we did last week."
The winners of the tie should progress to face the Lithuanian champions Kaunas in the second qualifying stage. Kaunas go into the home leg of their tie against Torshavn of the Faroe Islands with a 4-2 advantage.
TNS (4-5-1, probable): Doherty; Baker, Evans, Jackson, King; Wood, Naylor, Holmes, Ruscoe, Lawless; Wilde.
Liverpool (4-4-2, probable): Carson; Josemi, Carragher, Whitbread, Riise; Potter, Hamann, Alonso, Zenden; Luis García, Cissé.
Referee: C Bertolini (Switzerland).
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