Ludogorets vs. Liverpool: What to Watch in Key Champions League Match

Liverpool travel to Bulgaria on Wednesday night needing a victory against Ludogorets. Anything less would see the Reds eliminated from the UEFA Champions League if Basel win at home to group winners Real Madrid.

Liverpool have lost their last four games in all competitions, and have failed to win or even score in Europe since their opening Champions League victory against Ludogorets at Anfield in September.

Manager Brendan Rogers is desperate to turn around the Red's ailing season, and believes the club can move on from the difficult spell they have endured.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: 

"

I always believe losing can be the making of you as a player and a manager in terms of how you learn from it and move on from it.

You never dwell too much on the past—anyone can make mistakes—but for us it is about being in the present and focusing on the next game.

"

With Liverpool in dire need of a change in fortunes, here are three things to watch in this key Champions League clash.

Will Steven Gerrard play further forward?

For most of his time under Rodgers, Steven Gerrard has been deployed as a holding, defensive midfielder, in contrast to the box-to-box attacking force the Liverpool captain has been for so long in his career.

Rodgers believes that Gerrard has been slow to adapt to his new role, but insists that there has been no sentiment in picking him for the team, per Sky Sports.

The stats tell a different story.

Miguel Delaney of WhoScored reports that Gerrard is making fewer tackles, interceptions, fouls and is dribbled past more per game than last season.

However, according to Dominic King of the Daily Mail, the talismanic midfielder is set to return to his attacking role on Wednesday, with Lucas Leiva taking over his defensive midfield duties.

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This could benefit Liverpool greatly. 

Leiva was involved in eight of the 10 games last year in which Liverpool kept a clean sheet, per Squawka. The Brazilian is also far more mobile than 34-year-old Gerrard.

With Gerrard further forward, Liverpool will enjoy far more solidity in their midfield, and Leiva will bring much-needed protection to Liverpool's shaky defence.

Gerrard, meanwhile, will have more freedom to influence Liverpool's attacking play and will look to supply Rickie Lambert with chances, which could cause big problems to Ludogorets. 

Will Rickie Lambert fire Liverpool to victory in his first Champions League start?

With Daniel Sturridge sidelined until the new year and Mario Balotelli out with a groin injury, Lambert is set to make his first start in the competition.

The 32-year-old scored his first goal for the club in the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday. The former Southampton striker will need to add to his tally to keep Liverpool's qualification hopes alive.

According to Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph, Lambert admits to struggling for confidence this season, but has turned this around through his desire to Rodger's first choice up front.

He said: "It was difficult at first but I feel I am in a better place now. My confidence is back and has been for a while."

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With his renewed confidence and buoyed by his goal on Sunday, Lambert could make a real difference.

Lambert's power and composure will be a huge threat to Ludogorets, and his strength and aerial ability ensure Liverpool have a target to hit as their forward players look to cross the ball or make runs, per Andy Yates of Squawka.

While Lambert may have only previously played nine minutes of Champions League football, he is an experienced player and can help his boyhood club to victory.

Will Liverpool's defence be able to cope? 

Liverpool's defence have come in for a lot of criticism this season, and rightly so.

As noted by Miguel Delaney of WhoScored, Liverpool have made fewer tackles and interceptions per game this season than in their previous two under Rodgers. 

According to Squawka, Liverpool are vulnerable at the back: 

Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has also struggled and has been colourfully criticised by former Liverpool stopper Bruce Grobbelaar.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "I've likened Mignolet to worse than Dracula because at least Dracula comes out of his coffin now and then. He seems to stay on his line and that's it. That whole area, not just the six-yard area, is the goalkeeper's."

Like Dracula, WhoScored helpfully point out that one of Mignolet's weaknesses is dealing with crosses.

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Liverpool will need Mignolet and their defence to show solidity against the Bulgarian champions if they are to win. 

The Reds will be relying on protection from their midfield, as their fragility could see them buckle under the pressure.

If Liverpool can settle into the game and enjoy the majority of the possession early on, the defence can grow in confidence. This will reduce the likelihood of them making the errors that have plagued them all season.

Should Ludogorets come out of the traps and threaten Liverpool from the outset, Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren and Mignolet could be in for a long night.

Either way, the defence will definitely be worth watching.