There is no doubt that Liverpool F.C. is a great team, but they are facing a tough challenge this weekend against the Black Cats, Sunderland. Bolo Zenden, recently signed by Sunderland, will be playing his debut on this match scheduled October 17th 2009. Liverpool has a nice possibility of winning against Sunderland, but it is not on its prime condition and Sunderland is known to have been full of surprises. Let’s try to predict the match by seeing their previous encounters, shall we?

The last time Liverpool play against Sunderland was March 2009 where Liverpool scored two goals and won the match. In fact, Liverpool vs. Sunderland has never been that good for Sunderland except for once, plus five draws. This means Liverpool won 10 out of 16 games against Sunderland already. The last six of those winnings were made without Sunderland scoring a single goal. Looking pretty good for Liverpool, right?

But then let us consider the fact that Liverpool’s top scorer, Fernando Torres, is injured. He is at about the same recovery state as Gerrard and will not be able to play in this match. Torres is known for his ability to penetrate enemy defense; even the toughest defense must give in to Torres’s divine football skill. His movement is fast and irregular, weakening the defense line of enemy team substantially. A lot of Liverpool’s goals are made thanks to Torres’s movements, and now they are playing without him.

Sunderland has also won their last four home games in all competitions, scoring a total amount of 13 goals in those four games. Another interesting fact is that Steven Bruce, the manager of Sunderland, will be making a record for unwelcome century this weekend (losing 99 Premier League games as manager) and will surely look forward to a victory to avoid that.