Carling Cup Preview: v. Liverpool (+ Sidwell Loan?)

By: Rob | September 25th, 2007

For the second consecutive year, Reading draws Liverpool in the third round of the Beer Cup, and last year’s game was an explosion of goals: a 4-3 loss at Anfield that saw the Royals go down 3-0, then 4-1, before putting in two late goals to make the Scousers sweat. This time around, the two teams will throw down at the Madejski, where a late goal from the unpronouncable one, Dirk Kuyt, allowed Liverpool to sneak away with the points in a league game where they were out-shot 9-4 in April.

Cup ties are a strange thing with Reading though, as Steve Coppell tends to give his backups a run out no matter who the competition. Hence, second-teamers Shane Long, Ulises De La Cruz, John Halls, Emerse Fae, and my boy Bobby Convey are all tipped to start today. Marcus Hahnemann will likely also be rested in favor of the Aussie who sounds like an Italian, Adam Federici. Of particular interest is substitute James Henry, an 18 year-old from the Reading Academy who could be the answer to our right midfield woes.

A lot will depend on how much of a scrub side Rafa Benitez throws out, and rumors that Gerrard won’t start are encouraging. ESPN also has it that they’ll be starting a teenager of their own in central defense, along with a bunch of Brazilian and Moroccan midfielders I’ve never heard of.

With so many unknowns on the field, it’s anybody’s guess what the result will be. I’ll just make the lame, vague prediction of an entertaining and open match - Reading likes to take the game to even the biggest teams at home (as seen vs. Chelsea last month) and the reserves will have something to prove. Remember the cup squad’s deep run in the FA Cup last season? Yeah, like that. Personally, I’ll be pulling at the very least for Leroy Lita to score a goal, and the topical celebration that’s sure to follow. 2-1 on using his hand as a phone, 5-1 on committing a lewd act with the corner flag.

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A strange ESPN article about the possibility of Steve Sidwell coming back to the team on loan for the second half of the season. Soccer fans with more experience, help me out; has this sort of thing happened before? A player leaving his team for a big paycheck, then being borrowed back? It would surely benefit Reading’s midfield in the short term, but would also seem like a backwards step, like hooking up with an ex-girlfriend. It’d also be interesting to see what kind of reaction he’d get from the Madejski crowd, who didn’t take kindly to his departure. But if Chelsea wants to pay a player to play for our team, it sounds like a hell of a deal to me. I’ll keep an eye on the story, to see if it’s mere fantasy.