Yesterday’s injury news from Anfield was disappointing – Steven Gerrard, the club captain, ruled out for tomorrow’s Champions League Quarter Final with a groin injury. Although the clubs doctors were optimistic he’d be possibly ready to play again by the weekend, he’s suffering an injury that can take weeks to recover from.
Then came some more injury news today. Rafa Benitez revealed that Djibril Cisse – originally expected to be missing until next season – could actually play tomorrow night.
The Liverpool boss has added the Frenchman to the squad flying out to meet Juventus, and although he accepts his player isn’t anywhere near match-fit yet, he believes that he could be used in an emergency at the end of the game. Rafa spoke to the offical Liverpool website before the team left for the airport today, and he said, "Cisse is an option maybe towards the end of the game – he is not fit because he has not played for six months but he has power, he is very quick and obviously he was the top scorer in France for the last two seasons."
He continued, "We know that if we have a problem, he is a different player who we could call upon. He will not start the match, but maybe we will use him in the last 20 minutes or so if we need something different because he is quick and can score goals. He has been saying for a couple of weeks that he is ready, but we have wanted to be careful and make sure he is okay."
Cisse would be one of seven subs if selected for the bench tomorrow, as the Champions League rules allow for the extra two substitutes. This mean Benitez knows he’s got options should injuries take place during the game – like happened in the derby last month. Of course a couple of early goals for Liverpool and Djibril would probably be able to relax and watch the match, meaning he can make his comeback in the reserves.