Liverpool youngsters enter the lions’ den

LIVERPOOL boss Rafael Benitez will throw his youngsters into the lions’ den at Millwall in the Carling Cup as he protects senior stars for more critical games to follow.

The Spanish coach has three vital matches in eight days after the third round tie in south London, and those clearly are his main priority.

So top stars like Djibril Cisse, Sami Hyypia, Dietmar Hamann, Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso are not expected even to travel to London for what could be a daunting clash with last season’s FA Cup losing finalists, who make a habit of cutting the big guns down to size.