The inconsistent home form of Premier League leaders, Liverpool continues to pose serious questions about the team’s ability to end the long wait for an English league crown.
Hull City is visitor to Anfield today; Liverpool is yet to lose on Merseyside but its last two matches on home turf ended in a suffocating 0-0 draw with Fulham and West Ham United.
Against West Ham the final whistle was greeted with jeers despite the point taking the team clear of Chelsea.
Stoke City also escaped with a scoreless draw earlier in the season; so the visit of high-flying Hull, whose away form has been superb in its first season in the top flight, will offer no guarantee of three points for Rafael Benitez and his boys.
The desperation of the Liverpool fans for a first title since 1989-1990 has led to a muted atmosphere at Anfield in recent matches with their worries appearing to sit heavily on the shoulders of the players.
With striker Fernando Torres injured and Robbie Keane failing to spark, Liverpool has become jittery as it struggles to break down entrenched visiting defences.
Dutchman Dirk Kuyt is also injured and Keane is likely to shoulder the burden of providing much-needed firepower as he struggles to justify his big-money close-season move from Tottenham.
"I’m not the kind of person who gets down about things," Keane, who has managed just four goals for Liverpool and has been linked with a move in January, said. "I’m confident in my own ability and I know I’ll score a lot of goals for this club. There’s a lot more to come from me.
"I’ve only been here a few months and it takes a bit of time to settle into a new club. That’s not an excuse but I deserve to be judged a little further down the line."
Hull has been a revelation since gaining promotion. It plays with flair and adventure away from home, and in Brazilian Geovanni it has one of the best midfielders in the top flight.
His goals have helped Hull to sixth place and its four away victories include a stunning upset of Arsenal in which Geovanni scored a contender for goal of the season.
Former Liverpool player, Nick Barmby, now back with his hometown club, said the trip to Anfield, Hull’s first in a league match, will hold no fears.
"We’ll go there full of confidence and we’ll give them a game," Barmby said.
Second-placed Chelsea, just a point below Liverpool, will be looking to pounce on any slips when it hosts struggling West Ham United on Sunday.
Didier Drogba, scorer in the match against CFR Cluj in the Champions League, is likely to start for the Londoners after completing a ban for throwing a coin at fans.
Champions Manchester United face a difficult away trip to Tottenham as it seeks to keep the leaders in sight before heading off to the Club World Cup in Japan.
Dimitar Berbatov will return to Tottenham for the first time since leaving to join United in September but Wayne Rooney is suspended.
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