GARY Megson hopes his dynamic duo can do another number on Fernando Torres when Liverpool come to the Reebok today.

With the Spanish star back in contention after a hamstring injury, Gary Cahill and Andy O’Brien have been charged with the responsibility of keeping him under wraps.

And although their manager knows that is only “job one” in what is likely to be Wanderers’ most testing game of the season so far, he has already experienced the destruction Torres can cause when left to his own devices.

“I was absolutely delighted to hear that he was back,” Megson smirked. “We played against him at Anfield last year and lost 4-0 with a back four of Ricardo Gardner, Lubomir Michalik, Abdoulaye Meite and Jlloyd Samuel at right back and had quite a few issues. We couldn’t cope with him and he was magnificent.

“But when we played against him towards the end of the season, our two centre halves did really well against him and he didn’t cause us that much of a problem.

“They will have to do exactly the same again, because he is a really class act.”

Wanderers lost that game too – although that time it was Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard who conspired to give Rafa Benitez a 3-1 victory in early March.

In fact, considering Bolton were once considered Liverpool’s bogey team, they have had a pretty wretched time at the hands of the Anfield giants in recent meetings.

Megson thinks the key to victory lies in keeping Torres – a player he describes as one of the finest in the Premier League – in the background.

“When you look at what he was turning out for Atletico Madrid at the age he was turning it out, it was obvious he was destined for greatness,” Megson said.

“It is just to Liverpool’s advantage that he did play for Atletico and not Real Madrid because they would have struggled to get him out of there.

“He is a fantastic striker. He works his socks off, competes, and seems a really good lad – not one of these Champagne Charlie types. He seems one of the boys there and deserves a great deal of credit for how well he has done in his first full season there.

“The fact he is back and fit again is a really big test for us.”

Liverpool made their best-ever start to a Premier League season, losing just once in their opening 12 games.

Their title credentials, however, remain in question. They have not won the championship since 1990, due largely to their inability to win games such as the one they face today.

But Megson expects Rafa’s Reds to still be challenging, come what may, despite two defeats against Tottenham in their last four games in league and cup.

“I think they have been title contenders every year for the last 40 years,” he said. “They so rarely go into a season looking like they won’t be there or thereabouts.

“It’s just that this season they have had a really good start, they look as if they have got that momentum.

“The cup defeat at Spurs wasn’t even their first team but I think I heard Harry Redknapp say after the league defeat that his team had been absolutely battered.

Tottenham just scored two late goals out of the blue, so if Liverpool have just had a blip, I wish we’d all have them.”