LIVERPOOL VS CHELSEA
Benitez is praying his players have recovered from the match that was played in sweltering conditions, approaching 90 degrees, which sapped even the strongest in his squad.
Benitez is hoping there will be no adverse reaction as he prepares for a match that has a crucial impact on the title race even this early in the campaign.
He said: 'I think we will have enough time to recover for the Chelsea match. But we must control the recuperation of the players, and it does not help that it is Chelsea next. If we were playing another team maybe it would be easier for the players to cope.
'But against Chelsea you need everyone giving 100% of their ability all the time, so we must monitor the players.
'We will need a couple of training sessions to see how each one of them has recovered. Only then will I be able to see who starts the match against Chelsea.''
Benitez will rotate his squad again and the likes of Xabi Alonso, Daniel Agger and Dirk Kuyt, who did not play in Toulouse, are likely to be involved.
The Liverpool boss may try to play down the significance of the game, suggesting it is too early to make judgements, but defender Steve Finnan makes it clear how important the clash is.
He said: 'Of course Sunday is massive. Everyone has been talking about getting a good start, and yes, we have got one league win under our belts, but one win alone does not make a good start. We need to get as many points as we can in the first half a dozen games or so.
'As well as that, Chelsea are one of our main rivals, we want to finish above them this season because they are a good team.
'We can take a lot of confidence from the fact we beat them in the same fixture last year, and we have got more options all over the pitch now. We're at home, so we will try to attack them and win the game.''
He added: 'There is a lot of rivalry between the players, that is only natural, especially when we've played them as much as we have over recent seasons. But it is no different to when we play the likes of Manchester United or Everton.''
Football Channel ( 27 )
Kick Off : 2255hrs ( Singapore Time )
Benitez is hoping there will be no adverse reaction as he prepares for a match that has a crucial impact on the title race even this early in the campaign.
He said: 'I think we will have enough time to recover for the Chelsea match. But we must control the recuperation of the players, and it does not help that it is Chelsea next. If we were playing another team maybe it would be easier for the players to cope.
'But against Chelsea you need everyone giving 100% of their ability all the time, so we must monitor the players.
'We will need a couple of training sessions to see how each one of them has recovered. Only then will I be able to see who starts the match against Chelsea.''
Benitez will rotate his squad again and the likes of Xabi Alonso, Daniel Agger and Dirk Kuyt, who did not play in Toulouse, are likely to be involved.
The Liverpool boss may try to play down the significance of the game, suggesting it is too early to make judgements, but defender Steve Finnan makes it clear how important the clash is.
He said: 'Of course Sunday is massive. Everyone has been talking about getting a good start, and yes, we have got one league win under our belts, but one win alone does not make a good start. We need to get as many points as we can in the first half a dozen games or so.
'As well as that, Chelsea are one of our main rivals, we want to finish above them this season because they are a good team.
'We can take a lot of confidence from the fact we beat them in the same fixture last year, and we have got more options all over the pitch now. We're at home, so we will try to attack them and win the game.''
He added: 'There is a lot of rivalry between the players, that is only natural, especially when we've played them as much as we have over recent seasons. But it is no different to when we play the likes of Manchester United or Everton.''
Football Channel ( 27 )
Kick Off : 2255hrs ( Singapore Time )
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