Aurelio out for Reds at Birmingham

Liverpool will be without the injured Fabio Aurelio at St Andrews tomorrow against Birmingham, with boss Rafael Benitez set on resting several other stars ahead of next Wednesday’s decisive Champions League semi-final second leg at Chelsea.

Aurelio will be out for three weeks with a torn abductor muscle, while Daniel Agger and Harry Kewell are still long-term absentees.

But it is likely that Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano, John Arne Riise, Ryan Babel, Xabi Alonso and Jose Reina could also be left out. Jermaine Pennant, David Martin, Charles Itandje, Damien Plessis and Emiliano Insua are likely to be in the squad.

Provisional squad: Reina, Finnan, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Skrtel, Riise, Insua, Babel, Benayoun, Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Pennant, Voronin, Crouch, Torres, Kuyt, Itandje, Martin, Plessis.