6. Crouch wasn't sold
Okay, so this isn't much of a surprise as Rafa has said again and again that Crouchy isn't going anywhere. I guess this is more wishful thinking and hoping on my part more than anything else. Oh well, looks like ole lank stank is here to stay, at least until January.

5. We didn't sign another keeper
Surely six or eight or who knows how many Rafa has in his back pocket isn't enough for him.

Well, Jermaine Pennant and Harry Kewell will definitely not be in the line-up, that's for sure. JP was given a rest and Harry Kewell is injured again, shocking, I know. The question is, did Rafa bring any youngsters and if so, is he going to play any of them? Looking at who's not on loan at the moment, I can definitely see Emiliano Insua, Robbie Threlfall, Stephen Darby, Gabriel Paletta, Nabil El Zhar, Lucas Leiva, and possibly even Anthony Le Tallec seeing time here.

Well, I'm hoping he puts out our best XI despite having to go to Toulouse next Wednesday. There are no new nor niggling injuries that I have heard of, so here's who I'm thinking will start and/or possibly play tomorrow.

GK - Pepe Reina - If I was Rafa, I'd play Charles Itandje next Wednesday since he's probably familiar with Toulouse, which makes Pepe a no-brainer here
LB - John Arne Riise - Really no choice here unless Rafa goes completely bonkers and plays Insua, highly doubtful though
CB - Jamie Carragher - If he's fit and rested, Carra will get the call everytime
CB - Daniel Agger - ditto
RB - Steve Finnan - Until one of the kids step up or we sign somebody, I don't think we'll see Arbeloa starting since he can provide cover for all four backs
LM - Harry Kewell - provides much needed EPL road experience
CM - Steven Gerrard - the only time I ever see our skipper not starting is when he's not fit, it's against a much lesser opponent, or it's an irrelevant match
CM - Xabi Alonso - As much as I would like to see Mascherano or even Sissoko start here, I think Rafa will put a lot of importance on this match and Xabi just has more experience than the other two
RM - Jermaine Pennant - He's our starting right winger.

The most obvious thing Rafa will do is start the players who did not participate in mid-week international friendlies which was Carragher, Arbeloa, Pennant, and apparently Sissoko. As far as I know, Momo did not play for Mali against Burkina Faso. I can also seem him playing players who did not play the full matches for their country, which includes Kuyt, Babel, Torres, Alonso, and Finnan.

* Apparently, despite a slight hairline fracture of his toe, Stevie-G will be available for the Chelsea match come Sunday. Honestly, I don't think we need him and this might even be some sort of ploy to keep Mourinho guessing. A midfield tandem of Xabi and Mascherano should suffice, especially with Kuyt and Torres up front and Pennant on the right.

I doubt I'll get around to doing this tomorrow so I might as well get it out of the way. First and foremost, the Gerrard dilemma. I personally hope he doesn't play, but I'm not Rafa. I kind of think he won't start and will be on the bench just in case. The other question is whether or not Kewell will play. I've been told, through an unreliable source, that there's a chance, but from what else I've read points toward a longer wait for his recovery.

Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Voronin
Crouch

Subs:

Itandje
Agger
Riise
Torres
Alonso
Kuyt
Sissoko

Good to see Mascherano out there. The only surprise for me is Hyypia over Agger, hopefully that won't hurt us with the lack of pace back there.

Apparently both teams will be missing their respective captains as well as other key players, but this being at Anfield and Liverpool being clearly the superior squad, the Reds should win this one and advance to the group stages of the Champions' League. With that being said though, stranger things have happened. Anyhow, on to the squad.

In goal, probably Reina, though I suspect Itandje will get a start at some point before League Cup or FA Cup ties start.

Broken record alert: Stevie-G and Carra are out for this one. God I hope this means Gerrard sits out the England qualifying matches. Come on, Stevie, let Limp foot Lampard get some playing time. Moving on, I first expect to see all those who weren't featured against Toulouse on Tuesday start, which means Torres and Voronin up front, Xabi & Pennant in the respective midfield positions, and Finnan at right-back.

Reina
Arbeloa
Hyypia
Carragher
Finnan
Babel
Alonso
Sissoko
Pennant
Voronin
Torres

Subs:
Itandje
Agger
Riise
Kuyt
Mascherano

No real surprises except for maybe Hyypia for Agger. I sort of expect Agger to come in for the second half. I wasn't sure how much Voronin played on Wednesday for the Ukraine, but I did think he would be somewhere on the team today.

Well, today is the day plenty of Liverpool fans will dread. Frankly, the thought that one of our first-teamers could pick up an injury whilst away on international duty is worrying, but with the sheer number of players away, it is increasingly likely.

Pepe Reina is away with Spain, and after last month's appearance in the friendly with Greece, there is a possibility he may start for the Spaniards.

Well, this is disappointing news. Apparently Harry Kewell is not in-line to start today at Blackburn and may not even play nonetheless. Rafa has said that he will be extra cautious in integrating the Aussie into the first-team. This may be a ploy by Benitez, but I doubt it. To be honest, King Harry looked oddly spent within minutes of taking the field against Cardiff on Wednesday.

Nothing much really going on, which is only making the excruciatingly painful wait for the season to start even more excruciating. T-minus 22 hours until take-off.

In a not-so-big surprise, we've sent Scott Carson out on loan to Aston Villa for somewhere around £2m apparently with an option for them to buy him at the end of next season for an additional £10.

Here it is:
Pepe Reina
Alvaro Arbeloa
Jamie Carragher
Daniel Agger
Steve Finnan
John Arne Riise
Steven Gerrard
Xabi Alonso
Jermaine Pennant
Dirk Kuyt
Fernando Torres

Subs:
Charles Itandje
Sami Hyypia
Andriy Voronin
Ryan Babel
Momo Sissoko

Nothing too shocking except maybe Riise starting at left-mid.