Injuries pose problems for Benitez

Rafael Benitez will be without £14m (€20.2m) striker Djibril Cisse, who broke his left leg in two places at the weekend, for Liverpool’s Champions League game with Deportivo La Coruna.

But France Under-21 forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who missed the 2-2 draw with Blackburn, will be fit having recovered from shin and calf injuries sustained in the bruising Carling Cup win at Millwall last week.

Benitez will also be unable to call on skipper Steven Gerrard or winger Antonio Nunez just yet, although both started running on Monday after lengthy absences through injury.

Liverpool provisional squad: Kirkland, Finnan, Hyypia, Josemi, Carragher, Riise, Traore, Warnock, Whitbread, Kewell, Garcia, Alonso, Diao, Hamann, Biscan, Welsh, Baros, Pongolle, Mellor, Dudek.