Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has picked a pretty strong squad for the Reds’ second-leg match against TNS in the Champions League first qualifying round.
The game takes place tomorrow night and is being played at Liverpool’s other "home" ground – the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Liverpool’s reserve games are played at the North Wales venue, which also hosted Liverpool’s first friendly of the season, which saw the Reds beat Wrexham 4-3.
Rafa has chosen 18 players in total, and conspiracy theorists and the press will be delighted to hear that Jerzy Dudek and Milan Baros are missing from the squad. Both players appeared in Saturday’s friendly against Leverkusen, but were omitted from the party to travel back for the game from the training base in Switzerland. Neither player appeared in the first leg, which means they aren’t cup-tied should they move club this season.
Liverpool go into the game with a 3-0 lead, but Benitez is not going to take any chances of a slip-up. The game will also help with the physical conditioning of the players in advance of the Premiership season which is now less than a month away.
Steven Warnock has been included, after being stretchered off in Liverpool’s friendly on Saturday.
The game will be shown live in the UK on ITV2.
Full Squad
Goalkeepers: Jose Reina, Scott Carson
Defenders: Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher, Stephen Warnock, Zak Whitbread, Josemi, John Arne Riise
Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Darren Potter, Bolo Zenden, Luis Garcia, Dietmar Hamann, Xabi Alonso
Forwards: Djibril Cisse, Fernando Morientes, Anthony Le Tallec