Anfield
Saturday, 30 April
Kick-off: 1500 BST

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Liverpool team news to follow later.
Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate, who needed seven stitches in a head wound in midweek, faces a fitness test before playing his 400th Premiership game.

George Boateng has a foot injury, while goalkeeper Brad Jones will again deputise for Mark Schwarzer.

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Middlesbrough (from): Jones, Davies, Ehiogu, Southgate, Queudrue, Parlour, Doriva, Boateng, Zenden, Downing, Nemeth, Hasselbaink, Graham, Knight, Wheater, Reiziger, Parnaby, McMahon, Morrison.


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BIG-MATCH FACTS


LIVERPOOL and Middlesbrough meet for the third time this season, and both have European ambitions. The Reds lie outside a top four automatic qualifying spot for next season's Champions League, one place and four points below Merseyside rivals Everton, having played one more match. It could be that the best chance Rafael Benitez' side have of qualifying is by winning this year's competition. They stand goalless with Chelsea going into Tuesday's Anfield leg of the semi-final. But even if they should lift the Champions trophy, it will be at the discretion of the FA whether the team finishing fourth or the Cup holders gain the qualifying spot.

Liverpool have seldom faired well in the Premiership contest following a Champions League game. Of the 12 occasions this has happened, the Anfield club have won two, drawn three and lost seven. But they face Middlesbrough, looking to extend their run of unbeaten home games in all competitions to eight. Their last home reverse was a 0-1 Premiership defeat by Manchester United on 15 January.

The Merseysisders are defending an unbeaten home Premiership record against Boro. Indeed they've won 11 and drawn five of their last 16 League matches against the Teessiders at Anfield, and have not been beaten since a 0-2 top flight reverse on 6 March 1976.

MIDDLESBROUGH were involved in a dour goalless Tyne-Tees derby at Newcastle on Wednesday night, but the point, together with the three from last Saturday's 4-0 eclipse of West Brom at the Riverside puts them in seventh place and in pole position for a Uefa Cup spot. They lead rivals Spurs by two points and Aston Villa by three.

Boro have never finished higher than ninth in the Premiership, but maximum points here would keep them on course to improve on that, and put a smile on the face of manager Steve McClaren, who sends out a Middlesbrough side for the 150th time in this League, three days before his 44th birthday.

Honours are even between these clubs this season. Liverpool won a fourth round Carling Cup tie at Anfield 2-0 when Neil Mellor scored both, but it was the club from the north east that won this season's reverse Premiership fixture by the same margin. Chris Riggott and Boudewijn Zenden netted in a deserved victory, that gives the Riverside club the chance of a fourth 'double' over Liverpool and first since the home and away maximum in the old Second Division in 1958/59.

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Referee:

Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent)

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SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM

LIVERPOOL


Club stats
Fixtures
5th 54 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 5th
Lowest could fall: 6th

Won one of the last six in all competitions.
Completed six Premiership draws this season - no club has finished level less often.
Won three and drawn one of the 11 games in which they were behind at half time.
Conceded twice in the first 15 minutes of top flight encounters. Arsenal have leaked just one goal in the opening quarter hour.
Failed to score in 13 top League clashes. Only Blackburn (16) have fired blanks more frequently.
Lost 12 of the 13 League matches, in which failed to score.
Won more top tier games from a losing position than any other club (four).
Fourth in the Premiership's "Last Six Current Form" table with 10 points, trailing Arsenal (16), Chelsea (14) and Bolton (11).

Unbeaten in seven at home in all competitions.
Won five and drawn two at Anfield since losing 0-1 to Manchester United in the Premiership on 15 January.
Not lost in five home Premiership matches, picking up 11 points from the possible 15.
Won 11 home Premiership games this season. Only Chelsea (13) and Manchester United (12) have claimed maximum points in front of the home faithful more often.
Drawn three times in the League at Anfield. Everton are the only club with just two home draws to their name in the top table.
Conceded 13 League goals on home turf. Just Chelsea (six) and Manchester United (eight) have tighter home defences in the Premiership.
Picked up 36 points at home and 18 away - the difference of 18 points is the widest such margin in the Premiership.
MIDDLESBROUGH


Club stats
Fixtures
7th 50 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 7th
Lowest could fall: 7th

Not lost in three - all Premiership.
Won one and drawn two, since losing 1-0 at home to Arsenal on 9 April.
Lost one of the last five League outings.
Not conceded in two, or 188 minutes (three hours eight minutes) of Premiership football.
Scored 50 Premiership goals. Only Arsenal (74) and Chelsea (65) have netted more.
Scored only once in the first 15 minutes of Premiership games this season, but netted more than any other club (14) in the first quarter-hour of the second half.

Won one of the last nine League and Cup matches away from home.
Won one of the last 10 Premiership matches on the road.
The 0-1 victory at Crystal Palace on 2 February is their only away League triumph, since a 1-2 victory at West Brom on 14 November.
Scored 22 goals on their Premiership travels. Only Chelsea (31), Arsenal (30) and Bolton (23) can top that.

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KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES

LIVERPOOL


Squad profiles

If on the field from the outset, Igor BISCAN will be making his 50th Premiership start for Liverpool.
If he plays from the commencement, Harry KEWELL will be making his 50th Premiership start for Liverpool.
Should he figure, John Arne RIISE will be making his 200th appearance for the Reds.
MIDDLESBROUGH


Squad profiles

If he plays, DORIVA will be making his 50th Premiership appearance for Middlesbrough.
If on the field for the opening whistle, Stuart PARNABY will be making his 50th career League start.

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LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME:
Liverpool 2-0 Middlesbrough
2 May 2005 - Ref: Andy D'Urso
Liverpool scorers: Murphy 50 pen, Heskey 53

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THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE:
Middlesbrough 2-0 Liverpool
20 November 2004 - Ref: Steve Bennett
Middlesbrough scorers: Riggott 36, Zenden 62

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HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
League: Liverpool 53 wins, Middlesbrough 37, Draws 35
Prem: Liverpool 9 wins, Middlesbrough 5, Draws 5


HEAD TO HEAD at Liverpool
League: Liverpool 33 wins, Middlesbrough 13, Draws 16
Prem: Liverpool 6 wins, Middlesbrough 0, Draws 3