Rodgers keeps faith with Liverpool youngsters for Europa League
Thursday 22 November 2012
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will resist the temptation to turn to his established stars in the Europa League on Thursday, instead backing the younger members of his squad to seal progression to the next phase of the competition, according to the Daily Mirror.
As well as their penultimate Europa League fixture, the next week and a half brings three Premier League games for Liverpool, away at Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur and home to Southampton. Victory over Young Boys at Anfield will confirm Liverpool’s safe passage to the knockout round of the tournament with one game to spare, but the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez will be saved for the league programme.
Rodgers admitted as much in his pre-match press conference. He said: “We will respect the competition, but I have got four games in the next 10 days and you know what my priority has to be when I select the side to face Young Boys.”
The manager added that while the side he selects to face the Swiss team will be one he believes can win the match, but Gerrard and Suarez are expected to be kept on the substitutes bench for as long as possible, with Jonjo Shelvey deployed as an emergency striker, with Joe Cole in support.
See what the expert tipsters at OLBG are tipping on Swansea v Liverpool
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