Football - Liverpool FC: Fernando Torres set to miss Liverpool’s match with Birmingham but captain Steven Gerrard may return to squad

Nov 9 2009 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Football - Liverpool FC: FERNANDO TORRES is set to miss out for Liverpool this evening as Rafael Benitez refuses to risk the long-term fitness of the Spanish striker.

But Steven Gerrard could make his comeback from injury against Birmingham City despite being left out of England’s squad for the friendly with Brazil in Qatar this Saturday.

Torres will also not be considered by Spain for their forthcoming clash against Argentina with Benitez winning the battle to protect the talismanic duo from further injury while on international duty.

The striker visited a specialist in Valencia last week for a second opinion on his groin injury, with reports from Spain suggesting the forward has been ordered to rest for three weeks.

And Benitez is likely to err on the side of caution tonight in the hope Liverpool’s leading goalscorer will not ultimately require an operation.

“Fernando was with a Spanish specialist and talking with our staff and we know the situation and have to carry on,” said Benitez. “The specialist said for Fernando to keep working with the physios and see if he can progress and little by little we will decide. It depends on the reaction of the player. What can you do when you say rest? It’s not just in bed. He will not be playing any games if he doesn’t go with Spain, so he can just keep working with the physios.

“It’s our decision if he plays against Birmingham or not. He is feeling better than he was before so he can carry on with the pain, it’s not a problem. It’s a question of whether he’ll be fully fit or not.”

Gerrard has been undergoing intensive treatment on the groin problem that has restricted him to just 25 minutes of football in Liverpool’s last six games.

The 29-year-old did not train with his team-mates for more than a fortnight but has a chance of returning on the bench for tonight’s Premier League visit of Birmingham.

While Benitez believes Gerrard may be fit enough for a cameo appearance, the midfielder remains some way short of full match fitness.

The Liverpool manager has long been unhappy with the way Gerrard’s fitness has been managed while on international duty, a misgiving exacerbated by the midfielder suffering his latest problem when with England last month.

And Benitez reckons common sense has prevailed with the decision of Fabio Capello to omit Gerrard from the squad for the trip to Doha, although Glen Johnson, who is fit again after missing the last three games with a slight calf tear, will travel to the Middle East.

“Our doctor has been talking with the English doctor so they know the situation,” Benitez said. “When a player has not trained with the team for 15 days he cannot be 100% fit. Being available and being fully fit are two different things. When a player is available but he has been injured for one month, three months, six months, you would not say he is ready to play.

“Players being available and players being fit are different things, but at least you have players who can play 20 minutes if it’s necessary. Gerrard now has lost part of his fitness. We will see if he can train with the team, play against Bir-mingham or be on the bench but we know he will not be fully fit and maybe he will be out.”

Benitez added: “Steven is doing well, he takes care of himself and is a very good professional and we have a very good medical staff so I think we can manage. Now we needed to push him a bit and he was not fully fit and we have to wait and see what happens the next time.”

Johnson’s return to the right-back slot is timely given Philipp Degen and Jamie Carragher are both suspended and Martin Kelly remains injured.

Albert Riera, Fabio Aurelio and Nabil El Zhar are back training and will be considered while Martin Skrtel is expected to return after overcoming a virus.