BLACKBURN Rovers defender Short has revealed that he'd rather take on Thierry Henry than Liverpool's new galaxy of stars tonight.

New Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will showcase the talents of his Spanish Armada at Ewood Park for the first time in the televised Premiership battle (5.15pm).

And for Short, facing the unknown quantities of Djibril Cisse, Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia is a prospect more daunting than trying to stop Arsenal goal machine Henry.

"I'd rather play against people I know about even if it's someone like Henry," said Short.

"Players like that, you're more used to and know what to do but when you haven't played them before it's always difficult.

"Milan Baros I know a little bit about, but not Cisse and the Spanish players that their new manager has brought in.

"It's like when you play someone from the lower divisions, it's hard because you don't know a lot about them and they can embarrass you."

Rovers will have to improve on recent defensive disasters to stop themselves being cast further adrift at the foot of the table.

Back-to-back 4-0 defeats to Middlesbrough and Chelsea have left Rovers on just six points with a goal difference of minus 22.

But Short feels that once the Liverpool game is out of the way, his team-mates will have a distinct advantage over their fellow strugglers.

He added: "The consolation for us is we've got some tough games out of the way with Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle away and Man United at home.

"So if we lose tonight it's not a disaster but we do have to stay in touch with people around us.

"There seems to be a division forming where there's quite a few teams who are striving to get away from us so hopefully we can defend a little bit better than we have done.

"There is a confidence factor where if you concede early you think 'here we go again' but a lot of players are struggling for form and it's a mental thing as well.

"We've got to start well. It's a big thing in any game but if we can score first we've got something to hold on to."

Short also insists there's no problem with team spirit in the camp - and is in fact calling for it to be worse!

The 36-year-old feels that the sooner the players start criticising each other and falling out, the meaner they will be to their opponents.

"One of the criticisms from the staff is we don't have a go at each other enough on the pitch," said Short.

"We don't fall out with each other when things are going wrong, we just accept it and we don't get on to each other."