Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will rest players for tonight’s Europa League group match with Young Boys of Bern, but plans to still name a strong team.
The Reds have two tricky away games in the Premier League coming up next – at Swansea and Tottenham – but a win tonight can secure qualification from the group.
“It is an opportunity for us,” said Rodgers. “If the other result goes with us we can navigate our way through the group.”
Rodgers has been resting his star names for the away games in this group while using them at home and he has indicated he will do the same tonight.
“We never took Steven Gerrard and one or two other players but they’ll all be involved. We’ll have a strong team. I will make changes in the game – I have to respect that we’ve got a really busy schedule now over the course of the next 10 days.
“From Thursday, we’ll have four games in 10 days, and that’s a big ask to keep the same group of players playing in all of those.”
Although, The Liverpool Echo report on the contrary today, claiming Jonjo Shelvey will start up front;
Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Joe Allen and Raheem Sterling are all expected to be rested ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Swansea City.
Liverpool’s form has been improving of late and Rodgers believes that will continue into the second half of the season. “We will improve in the second half of the season, this group will get stronger, and it will be easier going forward once we have supplemented the group [in January].
Kick off tonight is 8.05pm, live on ITV4 in the UK.
LFC Squad: Reina, Wisdom, Carragher, Skrtel, Enrique, Allen, Gerrard, Shelvey, Sahin, Henderson, Sterling, Suso, Suarez, Jones, Coates, Downing, Cole, Assaidi, Pacheco, Yesil.
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