Football Tigers

But Benitez now sees a growing maturity in Gerrard that will also benefit England and the much-maligned partnership with Frank Lampard.
Liverpool are preparing to face Manchester City at Anfield, intent on protecting their 13-month unbeaten home league record.
Gerrard had his best game of the season in the midweek Champions League defeat of PSV Eindhoven, and saw him net only his second goal of the campaign.
And Benitez is aware Gerrard, now back in his favoured central midfield role, feels he is close to his best.
But not in the eyes of the Spanish boss, who said: "He can score goals, win the ball in the air, be good at set pieces, everything. When he says he is close to his best, maybe he does not know his true potential.
"He is improving a lot, he is maturing and thinking about the game. That will not only help us but also the England team. He will be able to form a better partnership with Frank Lampard because he is becoming more mature and more aware of what he should be doing."
It is this understanding of his midfield role that Benitez sees as the key to Gerrard's long-term development.
Previously Benitez had doubts about the timing of Gerrard's surges from midfield and the dangers they cause to an exposed defence but now believes the 26-year-old is learning.
"I really think Steven is an amazing player, he is always thinking about what he can do, he has such quality that he is a player you cannot stop," Benitez added.
"He is always thinking now about how he can improve the team, he is capable of doing that.
"He can still improve. I say to him he needs to know his team-mates and the players he has in front of him. If we play with two wingers and two strikers, he must concentrate and be careful all the time because when he goes forward into the box, that can leave gaps behind.
"His strength is getting into the box. We saw that many times last season and this week against PSV. He must do this, he is so good at it.
"But he must also think about what he does. He must concentrate and be aware all the time what is going on around him. If we do not have a holding midfield player he knows he cannot run into the box as much as he would like.
"He must be careful. I have told him he must go forward but he must also be aware of what is happening behind his runs.
"He said he was close to his best, but I do not think so. He is much better but his potential is so high he can improve much more."
With Liverpool hit by injuries to Mark Gonzalez, Mohamed Sissoko, Xabi Alonso, Stephen Warnock and Fabio Aurelio, the onus is very much on Gerrard taking on the responsibilities of leadership.
Benitez says: "Steven can score a lot of goals because he has that quality. He now has greater confidence, he can score all sorts of goals.
"It has been difficult for him because he hasn't been scoring and everybody all the time is talking about it. Do not forget we are talking about young men, you try to support them but the player needs to produce his best level on the pitch.
"Maybe he has been worried, but he has trained really hard, worked at the problem and I am really happy for him. Steve knows as captain he must set an example."
Jermaine Pennant (hamstring) has a chance of playing against City, and Benitez believes the top sides should have more time to recover from midweek European games.
He says: "I cannot understand why if you have played on the Wednesday you must then play again on the Saturday, rather than the Sunday which gives you more time to recover from injuries. In Spain this is normal.
"You must protect the top sides who are in Europe, because their success is good for the country. But they should not be penalised by having to play the next Saturday.
"You should be proud of teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and ourselves in the last 16 of the Champions League. It is good for the Premier League and for England.
"Why do we not protect the top sides? It would be better for everybody."

PSV will be looking to bounce back from their Champions League defeat against Liverpool when they entertain Utrecht.
PSV were forced to settle for second place in Group C of Europe's elite competition after slipping to a disappointing 2-0 loss at Anfield in midweek.
"We lost the ball too much and too easy," said PSV coach Ronald Koeman.
"Then it always becomes a difficult match.
"We were too sloppy in our build-up play from the back. We have dangerous players in our attack, but if they don't get the ball in the right way, they will never score a goal."
PSV have won their last seven league matches to storm to the top of the Eredivisie, but that wasn't evident against Liverpool.
"We have to show more patience and control, but we did not give away much," he added.
PSV have a three-point lead at the top of the table and will be confident of securing victory against mid-table FC Utrecht, who have won just once on the road while tasting defeat in their last three away matches.
Second-placed Ajax play at struggling Sparta Rotterdam the following day.
Ajax's title aspirations have suffered in recent weeks after losing to PSV and drawing 1-1 with FC Twente last time out.
And coach Henk ten Cate's side will face another stern test against 16th-placed Sparta, who have won their last two games as they battle for survival.
AZ Alkmaar are five points behind PSV and they travel to seventh-placed Heerenveen on Sunday.
AZ slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Feyenoord last time out, while Heerenveen beat struggling RKC Waalwijk 2-0.
RKC, who have not won for nine games, can move out of the bottom two if they win at fellow strugglers Willem II on Saturday.
RKC are currently in 17th place with eight points, while Willem - who have lost their last two matches - are in 15th position with 10 points.
And in-form Feyenoord will be looking to keep alive their Champions League qualification hopes by beating NEC Nijmegen at De Goffert on Sunday.
Feyenoord have won their last five successive matches to climb up to fourth, while NEC have dropped to 14th after going five games without a win.
On Friday night, FC Twente take on Vitesse Arnhem, Excelsior host Heracles Almelo on Saturday, and on Sunday basement club ADO Den Haag travel to FC Groningen and NAC Breda are away to Roda JC.

Gerard Houllier's champions are 12 points clear of the chasing pack, while Auxerre are languishing in 13th spot.
On Tuesday, Les Gones dropped their first points in the Champions League when they threw away a two-goal lead and were eventually held 2-2 at Real Madrid.
Houllier is experiencing huge problems up front in the build-up to Sunday night's big game, with virtually all of his frontmen nursing injuries.
Earlier this week he spoke of his desire to bring in a new face in attack.
"I do indeed need a new striker. Of course the injured players will return, but there's nothing to say they won't get injured again, like what happened last year with the defenders," Houllier told Le Progres newspaper.
Lille, meanwhile, will go into their game on Saturday against their Monegasque rivals hoping to close the gap on the leaders.
Laurent Banide's team will be no easy pickings, though, as they have lost only once in four outings since he took over.
Elsewhere on Sunday, third-placed Lens face a tough trip Le Mans, while fourth-placed Nancy go to the Stade Nungesser to take on Valenciennes.
Another French giant PSG, who are well below par in 14th, travel to relation-threatened Nantes.
In Troyes on Saturday, Albert Emon's Marseille will have do without the services of France midfielder Franck Ribery, who has a groin injury, when they take on the hosts.
Fresh from their midweek 3-1 Champions League win over Galatasaray, Bordeaux will be hoping for more of the same when take on high-flying St Etienne at the Stade Chaban Delmas.
In other games, Lorient take on form-team Sochaux, who are unbeaten in their last six matches - a run including four wins.
Basement boys Sedan travel to Nice and Toulouse welcome Rennes to the Stadium de Toulouse.

Schalke have managed to maintain their focus and move to the top of the table despite a season full of dramas.
Coach Mirko Slomka has been under pressure from day one while numerous dressing room spats have claimed the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
However, a 4-2 win in Cottbus last time out took the Royal Blues to the summit and into a position they can defend on Friday night before their rivals even take to the field.
Schalke host Bochum in the Revier derby which, given the way the season has gone for both sides so far, will almost certainly provide a surprise or two at the Arena AufSchalke.
The home side can move five points clear of second-placed Werder Bremen with a win before Saturday sees several more intriguing ties at the top and bottom.
Bayern Munich moved up to fourth with their second successive win last weekend, helping Schalke by knocking Stuttgart off top spot with a 2-1 home victory.
When the fixture list was revealed in July, this Saturday would have been circled as a likely top-of-the-table clash as Hamburg entertain Bayern in a north versus south fixture.
However, both Champions League participants find themselves in unexpected territory after 13 rounds of matches.
While Bayern in fourth may not be too far from their ambitions, Hamburg are languishing in 17th place with just one win all season - and that in all competitions.
Thomas Doll's side have become the laughing stock both in Germany and in Europe, where they have lost all five of their Champions League group fixtures.
Werder Bremen have fared significantly better in Europe and a 1-0 win over Chelsea has put them within touching distance of the second round, and sending holders Barcelona out of the competition.
They must replicate that form in the Bundesliga on Saturday as high-flying Arminia Bielefeld travel to the Weser Stadium.
Stuttgart are not in action until Sunday, when they will already know what three points against struggling Borussia Monchengladbach will be worth.
Gladbach could drop into the bottom three this weekend if Bochum and Hamburg can cause upsets.
Mainz, on the other hand, cannot escape the relegation zone, but a win over Hannover would raise confidence levels out of the doldrums.
Elsewhere, Nurnberg aim to build on their first win in 11 games when they travel to Wolfsburg while Alemannia Aachen will be looking to extend Hertha Berlin's inconsistent season and head back in the right direction.
Frankfurt and Dortmund also clash with the points needed to remain on the fringes of the top five.
Finally, on Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen and Energie Cottbus will be involved in a mid-table affair with the home side hoping to avoid tired legs from their UEFA Cup exertions on Thursday.

The top two in Serie A meet on Sunday night with Palermo playing host to Inter Milan, whose city rivals AC take on Messina on Saturday.

AC Milan are suffering and desperate for a change in fortunes. Carlo Ancelotti's men, who are at home to Messina in this weekend's 13th round, are 22 points behind leaders Inter.
Even their Champions League adventure had some of its shine removed this week as the Rossoneri lost 1-0 at Greek underdogs AEK Athens.
Veteran defender Paolo Maldini urged everyone to be calm after Milan's setback to AEK.
"We had even more opportunities than against Anderlecht (on matchday four), with great ball possession and control," he said.
"The problem is the injuries. We had two youth team players on the bench and we were limited.
"I hope someone will be able to return soon because playing every three days with the same men all the time isn't easy."
Among the ailing is defender Dario Simic, who has an intercostal injury.
"The injuries are really strange, especially Dario's," Maldini said.
These are times of change for Milan, with the Serie A giants on the verge of wholesale defensive changes.
The talismanic Maldini, now 38 years old and near the end of his career, is expected to quit playing at the end of the season.
And there are other concerns about the back line as well, with Cafu and Alessandro Costacurta also nearing the end of their careers.
Roma's French defender Philippe Mexes and Palermo's Andrea Barzagli have been mooted as possible signings, but acquiring them will not be easy.
Mexes has finally lived up to the hype which led to his move to the Eternal City from Auxerre a few years ago and has arguably been the best defender in the league with Roma boasting the meanest defence in Italy.
He is under contract in Rome until June 2008, and is thought to have a 10.5million euro buyout clause.
The price tag on Barzagli is far greater. He is valued at 20million euros.
What matters now for Milan, however, are the players currently at the club, because it is they who must figure out a way out of the hole they find themselves in, brought about by an eight-point deduction for match-fixing at the start of the season.
Maximum points are needed when they face 12th-placed Messina at the San Siro on Saturday, and with a long injury list those will not be easy to obtain.
Ancelotti hopes to have Alessandro Nesta, Kaka Kaladze and Massimo Ambrosini fit for selection.
Various injuries have ruled out Gennaro Gattuso, Giuseppe Favalli and Sergio Serginho.
Simic, Cafu and Costacurta are doubtful with muscular problems, while goalkeeper Nelson Dida is carrying a left knee injury.
Nevertheless, Maldini believes Milan's luck has already begun to turn.
Despite their defeat to AEK, Milan still clinched a place in the next phase of the Champions League due to other results.
"I hope that the unfortunate moment is over after going through as group winners," Maldini said.
"With all the negative things, there was also good news. The mindset is not a problem, if we can do it now we can always do it. Everything is about to change."
In Saturday's other game, struggling Chievo are at home to seventh-placed Udinese.
A clash of the titans will take place on Sunday night at the Renzo Barbera stadium, the home of Palermo.
The Rosanero take on leaders Inter looking to rejoin them at the top. They go into the game just three points behind.
In Sunday's other games, Roma visit Sampdoria after whipping Catania 7-0 last weekend, although Luciano Spalletti's men suffered a midweek Champions League defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Siena will host Fiorentina in a Tuscany derby, Lazio play at home against strugglers Ascoli, and Empoli host Cagliari, with both teams in good form.
Fourth-placed Livorno go to Reggio Calabria to visit rock-bottom Reggina, Torino face Atalanta at the Fratelli D'Italia stadium and Parma go to Catania.