Following their loss to Manchester United, Liverpool play host to tough rivals Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts cannot afford another bad result, as that would seriously dent their hopes of a top four finish this season.
However, Roy Hodgson's squad have not found Sunderland very difficult rivals to handle. In the last matches between the two sides, Liverpool have emerged winners on as many as seven occasions, with two wins for Sunderland, both in their own backyard.
The drawn match was hosted at Anfield, which was also the venue of the last match beteen the sides. Liverpool won that match 3-0.
In their last five Premier League matches, Liverpool have had a solitary win, with two draws and two losses. In these matches, the Merseysiders have scored just four goals while conceding seven.
Two of those goals came against Manchester United last week, in a creditable performance with Liverpool coming from 2-0 down to level the score, before the Red Devils prevailed 3-2, on the back of a third goal from Berbatov.
But Roy Hodgson should be justifiably worried about his squad's 16th place in the Premiership points table, after their fifth match of the season. Ironically, Fulham, the club Hodgson left to join Liverpool are nine places ahead of the Anfield side, on the points table.
Liverpool's midfielders have not been creative enough, this season, and that could be the root of the problem. While Meireles, a recent signing, has given a good account of himself, his midfield partners Lucas and Poulsen have been reluctant to go forward, and have failed to act as a foil to the three-pronged attack line of Gerrard, Cole and Torres.
Cole in particular could be the man to turn things around, compensating for the lack of midfield flair.
Sunderland have had a fairly impressive run, this season, with a win against Manchester City the high point. Last weekend's 1-1 draw against Arsenal made possible by Darren Bent's injury time strike (his third goal of the Premiership season) ensured that Sunderland took a point from a top team.
Nitpickers looking for a weakness could focus on the Black Cats' inability to score goals. They have scored just five in five matches and conceded as many. Sunderland will be looking to the recently signed Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan to rectify that deficiency.
Liverpool's past record against Sunderland should hold them in stead, in what is likely to be crucial to the Merseysiders fortunes, this Premier League season.
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