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With the games coming thick and fast over the winter months, it can be easy to forget those pesky international breaks that mar the club calendar. With the March break just over the horizon, though, soon Liverpool fans will get to worry about disrupted form and players picking up injuries right as the club try to prepare for the stretch run in the league and, if things go well, Europe.
This time around, though, there could at least be a bit of sort of Liverpool football to distract from the lack of actual Liverpool football thanks to a second Steven Gerrard testimonial match being hastily prepared. Gerrard, of course, had a pre-season game against Olympiacos set aside as his testimonial, but with Liverpool preparing for a new season at the time, in many ways it played out more like just another pre-season match.
The new match, tentatively being scheduled for Sunday, March 29th, would be a more proper, traditional testimonial, with Liverpool stars of the past and present—or at least those not busy on international duty—coming out for a half-speed kick around Anfield. The early list of invitees includes Gerrard’s former teammates Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina, and Fernando Torres. Jamie Carragher has already confirmed he will be involved.
Some players who might have been involved in an off-season testimonial like Javier Maschrano and Luis Suarez are almost certain to be unavailable due to international commitments. The same likely goes for current Liverpool players Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, and Raheem Sterling, with England set to play a Euros qualifier against Lithuania on the Friday before the testimonial.
