Liverpool rest senior stars

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier embarked on the club’s UEFA Cup campaign feeling able to rest senior stars who had slight injuries, with vital league games against Charlton and Arsenal coming up.

Steven Gerrard (ankle) and Steve Finnan (knee) would have played had this been a Premiership match, but Houllier would not take the risk.

It meant Salif Diao came into defence with French teenager Anthony Le Tallec making his full debut.

Danny Murphy effectively replaced Gerrard in a midfield that was also shorn of the suspended El-Hadji Diouf.

Michael Owen, on 20 European goals, needed just one more to overtake Ian Rush’s club record.

Olimpija, who are fourth in the Slovenian league, have only one player with a pedigree that would make him known in Britain.

World Cup midfielder Mladen Rudonja, who failed to make much impression at Portsmouth, is the mainstay of the home side.