Football - Liverpool FC: Rafael Benitez draws on Anfield anthem to help get Liverpool ‘through the storm’ in crucial clash in Lyon

Nov 4 2009 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Football - Liverpool FC: RAFAEL BENITEZ has urged Liverpool to draw on Anfield’s most famous anthem as they face another make-or-break Champions League evening.

Benitez’s side take on Lyon in France tonight knowing only victory would realistically keep alive their hopes of qualification to the knockout stages.

Fernando Torres is expected to be fit to spearhead Liverpool’s attack despite continuing to play through the pain barrier of a hernia problem.

With Benitez’s side standing third in Group E, six points behind leaders Lyon and three adrift of Fiorentina, even a draw at the 41,000-capacity Stade de Gerland may not ultimately prove enough.

Liverpool have lost six of their last seven games, and beleaguered Benitez has called for his players to follow the Kop choir and help turn their form around.

“Because we have experience, we try to manage when we are under pressure,” said the Anfield manager. “It’s easy for a manager when you are winning, but when you are under pressure you have to show character, you try to analyse things and be calm.

“If you are nervous you make mistakes. We have experience of the way we need to do things.

“I am really pleased to be here and I want to be here for a long time. Always, if you walk through a storm you hold your head up high, so that is what we will do.”

As well as captain Steven Gerrard, Liverpool are without Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson, Albert Riera, Fabio Aurelio, Martin Kelly, Philipp Degen and Nabil El Zhar, while Andrea Dossena is a major doubt.

Benitez will make a late decision on Daniel Agger, who missed Saturday’s defeat at Fulham with a back problem, while he may give a first start to Alberto Aquilani despite the £20million man playing just 17 minutes since returning from an ankle injury.

“It will be a massive achievement if we win,” said Benitez. “It will give us a better atmosphere and can give us a platform to build on from here.

“We are very positive. We have some experience and we have to have belief we can do it because we have done it in the past. We respect Lyon but we have to do our job and play well and win.”

Of Aquilani, Benitez added: “We will see how he trains and after we will decide with the staff. It’s something we have to discuss. We analyse every player. It’s possible he can play from the start, why not?”

Torres has played just twice in the past month as he grapples with a hernia problem, substituted after scoring in both the 2-0 win over Manchester United 10 days ago and the 3-1 defeat at Fulham on Saturday.

But the Spaniard will start this evening – possibly alongside the fit-again David Ngog – with Benitez hopeful he will avoid the need for surgery.

“I was talking with the doctor and he said Torres has a sportsman’s hernia,” said the manager. “It means he has a problem and we have to manage the problem.

“The positive thing is he is improving. He is training, sometimes with pain and playing sometimes with pain, but it’s less pain every time. Hopefully we can continue doing well with him, and maybe he will not need an operation.

“We don’t have a set time for him to play, it’s a question of how he feels. Sometimes he has felt something, so clearly he’s not 100% fit.

“Against United he played at 80% and scored the winning goal, so you never know with him. It’s an important game and we have to see what we can do with him.

“We talk with Fernando every day and see how he feels. After United he needed four days to be ready again, after Fulham he told me he was much better if still feeling something.

“Yesterday he was much better and hopefully on Wednesday he can be even better.”

Stephen Darby, Jay Spearing and Damien Plessis have also travelled to France with Liverpool having been given special dispensation to also add Danny Ayala to the Champions League squad.

Gerrard stayed at Melwood to continue his rehabilitation from an adductor problem, with Benitez hopeful his skipper will be available for the Premier League visit of Birmingham City next Monday.

TONIGHT’S officials are from Belgium, with Frank De Bleeckere the referee. He has previously presided over Liverpool wins against Juventus, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.