Reds aim to take FA form into league

LIVERPOOL- Agence France-Presse

Liverpool may be enjoying plenty of cup success but the trip to QPR offers the chance for the team to get its Premier League campaign back on track.

The Reds won through to the FA Cup semifinal, where they will meet either Everton or Sunderland, with a 2-1 win over Stoke on March 18.

Kenny Dalglish’s team has already won its first trophy in six years, by beating Championship side Cardiff on penalties in the League Cup final.

That undoubted progress has not been matched in the league where the Reds sit seventh in the table, 10 points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and just three ahead of newly-promoted Swansea.

While their indifferent home form has attracted plenty of criticism, they have also struggled away from Anfield.

Their tally of six victories is more than they have managed in front of their own fans but, as well as just one draw, they have suffered seven defeats.

The Anfield club has already spent two years outside the Champions League and finishing outside the top four for a third straight year would do significant harm to their prestige, as well as income.

QPR need the points for different reasons, as they look to get out of the relegation zone, and Jay Spearing expects Mark Hughes’ men to offer stiff resistance.

“It (Loftus Road) is not a nice place to go. It can be a hostile atmosphere and we’ve got to go and show we can play our football, get three points and start climbing up that table.

“We’ve got a big game on Wednesday which we’ll need to compete in and get three points, but when it (the semifinal) comes about we’ll be looking forward to it.”