Brendan
Rodgers has confirmed he has a near-fully fit squad to select from for
Thursday's Europa League clash with Udinese – but admits he may shuffle
his pack for the visit of the Italian side.
However, despite the majority of his players operating at full fitness, Rodgers admits he may follow a similar policy to the one that has served him well in the tournament so far this term and make changes from the team that hit Norwich City for five on Saturday - though he insists senior players will be involved in his plans.
The boss told a pre-match press conference at Anfield: "We're fine. We're pretty much the same as we were at the weekend. The boys that are bit longer-term like Lucas Leiva are still working well.
"There's nothing new from the weekend. Jose Enrique is back out on the pitches running. Apart from that, everyone is good and the condition of the team is good. We'll look forward to tomorrow night.
"I'll assess that [Enrique's injury] nearer the weekend [to see if he can be involved]."
Rodgers has confirmed he is now able to call upon the services of Joe Cole after the playmaker marked his return to action with a goal for Liverpool's U21s on Monday.
He added: "His attitude is superb and Joe really thinks he can contribute to the group, which is great. He's been unfortunate. He's been out and came back a couple of times, but didn't quite really get through fitness wise.
"He was out for eight weeks, trained for a couple of weeks, had his first game, scored a good goal and now he is fit. He's back into training now and looking to fight for a place in the squad.
"He loves his football, Joe, and he's now fit enough to fight for his position in the group."
Rodgers was also keen to pay tribute to the 'warrior mentality' of Daniel Agger after the Dane revealed he is playing with some slight discomfort in his knee after picking up an injury against Manchester United recently.
"He didn't train all last week - he's got a little bit of pain in there," explained the manager. "He played in the game down at Norwich and did very, very well. He's recovered well now and it's just a management process with Daniel.
"I came into the club and looked closely at his injury record. He's a player who needs managing. He's a good guy and has worked well this week and will be available for the next couple of games.
"He's a real warrior. I am very fortunate here that I have got a group that has that real warrior mentality and he is one of those guys."
Asked by Italian journalists if the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez will be involved, Rodgers added: "I will do what I've done in most of the games and I will have a look at the group.
"I always look at each game and pick a group and team to win it. Udinese will be a very strong team, they've got some excellent players and have had some excellent results this season so far - they've beaten AC Milan and are unbeaten in their last five games.
"We need to ensure we have a group that is strong enough to win the game, but those players [Gerrard and Suarez] will be involved."
Source: Liverpoolfc
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