Benitez: We can't take FBK for granted
Jul 26 2005
By Ian Doyle in Kaunas, Daily Post
RAFAEL BENITEZ admits Liverpool will be taking a step into the unknown when they resume their Champions League defence this evening.
The Anfield side face Lithuanian champions FBK Kaunas in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie with Peter Crouch poised to make his competitive debut after his £7million move from Southampton last week.
And Benitez has urged his players not to be complacent given the short gap between winning through against TNS Llansantffraid in the previous round last Wednesday and tonight's encounter, which has left Liverpool little time for their usual preparation.
"We do not know what to expect," admitted the Spaniard. "We have seen some videos and some reports but we need to play against them to know what they are like.
"We are favourites but we need to demonstrate that on the pitch. In football you must have a lot of respect for the opposition. We will play to win and we want to do our best."
Kaunas, who beat HB Torshavn of the Faroe Islands 8-2 on aggregate in the previous round, are midway through their own domestic season.
They have won the Lithuanian championship six times in succession but are currently in second place, 12 points behind the leaders with even a number of their own players conceding their team has no chance of victory.
But Benitez, who could also hand a debut to £5m man Momo Sissoko, warned: "When we played the first game against TNS people said that it would be easy for us. But we didn't say that.
"We are playing a team we do not know a lot about. Before the game, we must be careful. It is our job to make the game easy for ourselves."
Crouch is expected to line up alongside Djibril Cisse in attack after impressing during a 45-minute stint in Saturday's friendly victory over Olympiakos.
But Benitez refused to douse speculation Milan Baros is facing an imminent departure from Anfield, although he named the Czech Republic striker in the squad for tonight's game and he could be among the substitutes.
"Peter played well the other day and we want him to play like that and even better throughout the whole season," said the Liverpool manager.
"As for Milan, he is one of the possibilities. I am talking about the game, and not about offers. I will see tomorrow whether he plays or not. If he plays or doesn't play, he is still our player. He is in the squad.
"He is happy now. He is training really well and scored two goals the other day and played well. A striker is always happy if he is scoring goals."
Aston Villa are expected to return with an improved bid for Baros later this week. It would be highly unlikely for the player to make an appearance this evening as it would make him ineligible for any potential Champions League buyer.
A capacity crowd is expected at the 8,500 all-seater Dariaus ir Garina Stadium, but Liverpool's prime concern could be the poor state of the pitch at a venue that held the World Junior Athletics Championship at the weekend.
"The most important thing is the pitch," said Benitez. "We are using a lot of players because we are not only playing the games themselves, we are training, training, training. We have to use all the players at the moment."
Benitez - who is still awaiting word of Luis Figo's decision where he wants to play next season - also dismissed the notion his players will be affected later on in the season by their early start to the campaign, and instead insisted it could be to Liverpool's advantage.
He said: "Maybe when you play competitive games in July and August, you can start the season with a better physical condition than the other teams.
"We are not training hard thinking about the games we are playing now. Our idea is stay fit thoughout the season."
Steve Finnan is likely to miss tonight's game as he continues to recover from illness while Djimi Traore has a slight thigh problem and may not be risked.
Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso both picked up minor knocks during training yesterday evening but both are expected to be fit.
