With the international break now upon us, Liverpool fans could be forgiven for feeling a little lost.
Sunday’s defeat against Manchester United is still looming large in the memory, with more than a week left to stew on it. But fret not, because Liverpool are actually in action. In a fashion, anyway.
The LFC Legends side are playing their annual charity match, taking on their Ajax counterparts at Anfield on Saturday. So, we took the trouble of compiling a list of the 20 players set to feature for the Reds ‘legends’ side this weekend.
Goalkeepers
With only two goalkeepers in the squad, it seems fairly certain that both will play a half each for Liverpool.
Both ‘keepers included did actually win some important trophies with the Reds, and will be well received by the Anfield crowd as a result. Jerzy Dudek famously became the hero of Istanbul in 2005, winning Liverpool the Champions League to go with his FA Cup medal from 2006 and League Cup from 2003.
The second goalie is Dutchman Sander Westerveld. Westerveld was the Reds’ No.1 for the treble-winning 2000/01 campaign, starting in all three finals, as well as in the victorious Super Cup later in 2001.
Defenders
Liverpool’s defence for Saturday could bear quite a striking resemblance to Rafa Benitez’s back four during his time at the club. Four of the six players named spent significant time playing under Benitez and will need little introduction.
Sami Hyypia is perhaps the most illustrious, having played over 450 games for the Reds across a decade. A former captain with just about every trophy to his name, Big Sami is a living legend.
Joining Hyypia are two of the players Benitez often entrusted him to lead in a centre-back pairing in the late 2000’s. Both Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel were top players in their own right though, playing a combined 552 games for the Reds.
Left-back Fabio Aurelio completes Rafa’s quartet, with his cultured left-boot always welcome at Anfield.
The final two defenders will be versatile Norwegian Bjorn Tore Kvarme, who played 54 games for Liverpool in the late 1990’s and left-back Gregory Vignal, a left-back who played just 20 times in the early 2000’s.
Midfield
Adding to the relatively youthful feel of the squad this time, one of Liverpool’s midfield is still playing today. Okay, Jay Spearing is turning out for the academy this season, but he’s still technically active.
So too was Maxi Rodriguez until 2021. The Argentine is fondly remembered for the sparkling part he played in a below-par Reds team in the early 2010’s.
Another to have carved out a bit of a cult following is Momo Sissoko, who was a piece of Liverpool’s ‘best midfield in the world’ during Benitez’s reign.
The legends squad also boasts two Champions League winners. Igor Biscan was an unused substitute in the 2005 final, while Steven Gerrard had, how shall we say it, a little more impact.
Attack
Liverpool’s attack is where the excitement really lies for Saturday. The return of Fernando Torres has been a long, long time coming. He’ll finally be back in a Reds shirt this weekend.
So too will Dirk Kuyt, who often partnered Torres so successfully during their three-and-a-half years playing together.
Two more to have shared the pitch with both players are Mark Gonzalez and Nabil El Zhar, who have just 64 Liverpool appearances between them.
Rounding off the team is Djibril Cisse, an underrated striker who won the lot with Liverpool, and Dutchman Ryan Babel, who will play for both teams.
And finally, there is a 20th player who will be back at Anfield once again this weekend. Jari Litamen, that most elegant of playmakers, will be turning out for his beloved Ajax, with who he scored over 130 goals, before a brief move to Liverpool in 2001. All set!
The 20 former Liverpool players set to play in the ‘legends’ game on Saturday: Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio, Ryan Babel, Igor Biscan, Djibril Cisse, Jerzy Dudek, Steven Gerrad, Sami Hyypia, Dirk Kuyt, Bjorn Tore Kvarme, Jari Litmanen, Mark Gonzalez, Maxi Rodriguez, Momo Sissoko, Martin Skrtel, Jay Spearing, Fernando Torres, Gregory Vignal, Sander Westerveld, Nabil El Zhar,