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Basel tackle Liverpool in Champions League duel

Liverpool are confident that they can put a frustrating run of domestic form behind them when they face FC Basel in Switzerland in Champions League Group B football action on Wednesday.

Basel tackle Liverpool in Champions League duel
FC Basel coach Paulo Sousa: "We'll be stronger." Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP

The Reds are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, with Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Everton in the Merseyside derby, in which they conceded a stoppage-time equalizer to a stunning Phil Jagielka strike, following three defeats in their opening five matches.
   
But midfielder Jordan Henderson believes the performance against Everton, which featured a marvellous Steven Gerrard free-kick to put Liverpool in front, means they can go to the St Jakob-Park in a confident frame of mind.
   
"I don't think it'll affect us because the performance level was very good," said the midfielder, who along with Liverpool colleagues Raheem Sterling and Rickie Lambert played in England's 2-0 win over Switzerland in Basel in a Euro 2016 qualifier just three weeks ago.
   
"We've got to take the positives out of that. The goal was in the top corner so we've just got to keep going and keep playing like that.
   
"If we keep putting in performances like that we'll win more than we don't."
   
Liverpool go to Switzerland having started their Group B campaign with a 2-1 win against Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria two weeks ago, although they required an injury-time Gerrard penalty to get the three points in their first match in the competition for five years.
   
Brendan Rodgers's side are on paper strongly fancied to progress to the last 16 along with Real Madrid but a slip-up on Wednesday would put them under pressure ahead of a double-header against the defending European champions.
   
Rodgers confirmed that he would check on the fitness of striker Daniel Sturridge, who has missed the last five matches due to a thigh injury but is now getting closer to a comeback, raising hopes that he might be involved at some stage.

Sturridge close to return

"I'll see how he is. He wasn't far away for Everton, but he certainly wasn't fit enough to be on the bench," said the Anfield club's boss, who also has Emre Can, Joe Allen, Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan on the sidelines at the moment.
   
"But Daniel is obviously a top talent, whatever part of the game he comes into. And he's not far away from being back playing."
   
Basel are top of the Swiss Super League just now, although a 1-1 draw at home to Thun at the weekend — in which they also conceded a late equalizer — suggested that they are not yet up to the standards of the side that beat Chelsea home and away in last season's Champions League.
   
Midfielder Taulant Xhaka is nevertheless hopeful that the Swiss title holders will raise their game against the five-time European champions, saying: "This will be a different game. We will be well prepared for it and will give everything we have."
   
Basel coach Paulo Sousa, who was the Swansea City manager before departing for Leicester City in 2010 and being replaced by Rodgers, promised after the crushing 5-1 loss to Madrid in the Spanish capital a fortnight ago that his team would "be stronger in the next matches."
   
The home side will, however, again be without Chilean midfielder Marcelo Diaz, a stand-out performer at the World Cup who serves the second of a three-match ban in Europe, while Ivan Ivanov is a long-term absentee as he recovers from a knee problem.
   
These clubs last met in the group stage in 2002, when Liverpool, with a sprightly 22-year-old Gerrard in their side, came from three goals down to draw 3-3, although that result could not prevent Basel from advancing at their expense.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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