Aurelio rues Carragher absence

Defender Fabio Aurelio admits the loss of Jamie Carragher will be a big blow to Liverpool as they seek to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at Tottenham.

With skipper Steven Gerrard sidelined for a further three weeks with a hamstring tear sustained on England, duty the Reds are likely to be without their vice-captain for a month after he sustained a suspected dislocated shoulder at White Hart Lane yesterday.

Carragher will undergo further assessment at the club’s Melwood training ground later today before the extent of the damage can be ascertained.

But it does not look good for the 32-year-old and with Daniel Agger still recovering from a calf problem it leaves only Martin Skrtel – a scorer at both ends against Spurs – and Sotirios Kyrgiakos as the only two fit senior centre-backs.

“We don’t know yet how bad Carra’s injury is but not having him in the team will be a really big blow for us,” said Aurelio.

“We just hope it’s not too serious and he’s back playing for us soon became he’s so important for us.”

Aurelio came on as a second-half substitute yesterday as Liverpool conceded an injury-time winner, which was a significant blow to confidence after a much-improved away performance.

But there are more difficult times ahead on the road after the Merseysiders were drawn against arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in the third round of the FA Cup.

The Brazilian knows that despite their display at White Hart Lane the team cannot afford to squander chances as they did when 1-0 against Tottenham.

“If you look at the opportunities we had in both halves there were some very good ones but we didn’t take them,” he told the Liverpool Echo.

“In a match like that against a big opponent who are in very good form you can’t afford to miss chances like that.

“We played some really good football but we couldn’t finish off some great moves.

“If we had done it would have a very different result and we certainly deserved to get something from the game.

“The cup tie will be a very big game because there’s such a big rivalry between the clubs.

“It’s going to be difficult but we will look forward to it.

“That’s the kind of game everyone will want to play in.”