Premier League preview: Blackpool v Liverpool

Blackpool and Liverpool will both look to bounce back from third round FA Cup defeats when they meet at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday.

The English Premier League fixture was rescheduled from its original Boxing Day date, when a frozen pitch caused the match to be postponed.

It will be Kenny Dalglish’s first match in charge of the Reds in a Premier League encounter, with their league results the reason for Roy Hodgson’s departure from Anfield on Saturday.

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway added heat to the Wednesday clash by criticising Reds fans for forcing the sacking of Hodgson from Liverpool, which he claimed deflected blame for poor results off the players.

“I just think football has gone mad. One of the most stable clubs in the world has been destabilised by giving a man a job in the summer and getting rid of him already,” Holloway said.

“All I’d like to say is, the crowd have got what they want. Maybe Liverpool should have given it (the manager’s job ) to Kenny in the first place because they’ve tarnished a great man’s reputation.”

“The fans wanted Dalglish. They’ve been singing it for four weeks and once that starts it’s really difficult to stop.”

“I’d like to look at some of their players and say, ‘Hang on, have you been earning your money?'”

Holloway will be without striker Marlon Harewood for the clash, as he is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while goalkeeper Matt Gilks is also unavailable with a knee problem.

Influential midfielder Steven Gerrard will miss the next three matches through suspension, should Liverpool not appeal his red card in the Cup loss to Manchester United on Sunday.