Sinama-Pongolle starts for Reds

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was forced to hand Florent Sinama-Pongolle a first Barclays Premiership start of the season in the absence of Milan Baros.

With Djibril Cisse out for the season with a broken leg, Benitez’s striker crisis has hit home with seven-goal leading scorer Baros also out for the Anfield visit of Birmingham with a hamstring injury.