Gerrard to return to face Leverkusen

Liverpool will have skipper Steven Gerrard back from a one-match ban to lead the side in their Champions League tie with Bayer Leverkusen.

The Anfield side are trying to protect a 3-1 lead without cup tied duo Fernando Morientes and Mauricio Pellegrino, while Harry Kewell has also not travelled to Germany due to Achilles and ankle problems.

Manager Rafael Benitez is hoping Dietmar Hamann and Jerzy Dudek will have recovered from minor injuries which kept them out of Saturday’s defeat at Newcastle.

Full-back Djimi Traore (knee) misses the tie in the BayArena, a re-run of the quarter-final three seasons ago when Leverkusen overturned a 1-0 deficit and went on to reach the final before losing to Real Madrid.

Provisional squad: Dudek, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Luis Garcia, Biscan, Hamann, Gerrard, Kewell, Le Tallec, Nunez, Baros, Smicer, Carson, Warnock, Welsh, Potter, Whitbread, Partridge.