Defender ready for Sturridge and Suarez
GARETH McAuley insists Albion will need to take their ‘A’ game to Anfield tomorrow in order to contain Liverpool’s ‘SAS’ frontline.
The dynamic duo (Sturridge & Suarez) have netted six goals in three Barclays Premier League fixtures since the Uruguay international returned from suspension last month.
And McAuley, who has fond memories of scoring in a 2-0 victory on Merseyside in February, is relishing the challenge of keeping the Reds quiet.
“Suarez is a quality player, world class,” said McAuley.
“We know from playing against him what he can do.
“He knows where the back of the net is and he’s a handful.
“He’s someone we’ll need to keep a close eye on.
“Suarez and Sturridge are clever players.
“We’ll have to be on our toes and take our ‘A’ game to keep them quiet.
“They link well, and one of them can go long while the other comes short.
“They have good movement and it’s going to be up to us to make clever decisions in the game.
“We’ll have to be on top of our game if we’re going to stop them.
McAuley headed home Chris Brunt’s corner as the Baggies recorded their second successive win at Anfield earlier this year.
And the Northern Ireland international says it was a special moment for a number of reasons – not least because his three-year old son was celebrating his birthday.
“It was a special moment,” McAuley added.
“It was a game we needed to win after a difficult run of games.
“We had to dig deep.
“We soaked up a lot of Liverpool possession.
“To score a goal there was nice too.
“It was my wee fella, Bobby’s, third birthday as well.
“It was a nice moment for me and my family but even better for the club and the fans.”
McAuley admits his team-mates will be buoyed by their recent form against the Reds – but believes it is now time to focus on earning another positive result.
“It’s good that we’ve won our last two games there but that’s gone now.
“You can use it for confidence but we’ve seen the way they’re playing this season and they look like a different side.
“Three wins in a row is a great achievement but it’s all history.
“Now we need to go there and do it all again.
“They’re playing some really good football and it’s going to be a massive test for us.
“We’re gaining confidence ourselves and we’re beginning to bed players in.
“We’re getting some momentum ourselves and hopefully we can go there and cause an upset.”