Liverpool face Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of tomorrow'a Champions League tie without a string of top stars, including skipper Steven Gerrard who is suspended from the match but will be available for the second leg in Germany in a fortnight.
Fernando Morientes and Mauricio Pellegrino are both cup-tied while Xabi Alonso, Djibril Cisse and Florent Sinama-Pongolle are all injured.
Harry Kewell is likely to return after recovering from an Achilles injury, but there is also an injury doubt over Neil Mellor who has been struggling with a knee injury.
But the Reds skipper is confident his team-mates can do enough without him to keep the tie alive going into the second leg in Germany in a fortnight.
"It is a massive frustration for me to be suspended but hopefully the lads can pull a result out of the bag and keep me involved for the second leg," said Gerrard.
"The Champions League is massive for us. It is important that we stay in for as long as possible, not only for financial reasons but also because our league form has been so up and down."
