Gerrard still confident Reds will qualify

Steven Gerrard remains optimistic Liverpool can qualify for the second round of the Champions League despite tonight’s 1-0 loss to Monaco.

Rafael Benitez’s team must beat Olympiacos by two clear goals to make sure of further progress in this season’s competition.

And the England midfielder, who tonight played his first full game since breaking his foot in a defeat at Manchester United in September, said: “It will be a big night at Anfield but we had to beat Roma a couple of years ago and we managed to win it.”

Liverpool lost Luis Garcia and Josemi to injury tonight, and with strikers Milan Baros and Djibril Cisse sidelined by injury, Benitez’s squad is being tested.

Gerrard added: “We’re having bad luck on the injury front but we’ll stick together – and we’ve got other options.

“It was a difficult match tonight – but I’m gutted by the result. I don’t think we played good enough to get a result – but it was difficult to play good football out there.”