Phil Thompson: Liverpool will overcome tricky Basel test and book place in Champions League knockout stages
Tuesday 9 December 2014 11:23, UK
Liverpool legend Phil Thompson is backing his former club to make Tuesday night's must-win clash with Basel a turning point in their season.
The Reds will qualify for the Champions League knockout stages if they successfully avenge the 1-0 defeat suffered at St. Jakob-Park at the start of October.
However, Thompson, who won the European Cup three times during his 13-year spell at Anfield, is wary that the Swiss champions will be well set up to expose the vulnerabilities of his former club, who have won just three of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Nervy
The Soccer Saturday pundit said: "I think we will have enough. It's going to be a nervy night but European nights at Anfield are just magnificent if you tap into it.
Basel enjoy the underdogs tag. They’re well versed, sitting back, staying patient and hitting you on the break. I think we will have enough. It’s going to be a nervy night but European nights at Anfield are just magnificent if you tap into it.
"It could absolutely be a turning point but it is so important how we play. We can’t just go gung ho, we need the intensity going forward but the attacking side of our game has to be balanced with discipline at the back.
"Basel enjoy the underdogs tag - that’s the nature of them home or away and it works for them against Premier League sides.
"They’re well versed, sitting back, staying patient and hitting you on the break.
Champions League Goals
"It’s going to be tough to watch, especially set pieces which we're vulnerable at and they will know that and look to exploit it."
While much has been made of Brendan Rodgers only using Steven Gerrard from the bench in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Sunderland, Thompson feels that it is a necessary step and that others need to step up.
He added: "It’s not only the leg work but the energy he needs to put in with the team not playing well and there’s so much pressure on him. Brendan needs to keep him fresh.
"There are three key players for me which need to step up; Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana. They're our most creative players and we’ve not got enough goals out of them so far this season.
"Our only really good performance this season was against Tottenham, which is extraordinary given the amount of competitions we’re in."
Thompson is tipping Liverpool to scrape through 2-1 at odds of 15/2 with Sky Bet with Steven Gerrard netting the opener.
