Liverpool FC optimistic on Fernando Torres fitness for Champions League

02 November 2009 07:00
LIVERPOOL are cautiously optimistic Fernando Torres will win his battle to be fit for Wednesday's do-or-die battle against Lyon.[LNB]The Reds' lethal weapon was controversially substituted during Saturday's demoralising 3-1 defeat at Fulham, despite scoring his 10th goal of the campaign.[LNB]However, Rafa Benitez felt he had no option but to end his star striker's afternoon early, as Torres had been a doubt for the game at Craven Cottage until just before kick-off.[LNB]Torres will be monitored by Liverpool's medical staff over the next 48 hours but the manager - who is likely to be without Steven Gerrard - has admitted that it will be touch and go whether his number nine will line-up in Stade Gerland on Wednesday.[LNB]'We will see how he is,' Benitez said today. 'He needed four days (to recover) the last time, so we knew there would be a problem (for Fulham).[LNB]'We will see in the next couple of days how he is going to react to this. We knew it was going to be difficult for him to play and we had to decide.[LNB]'The other day, he played 80 minutes but needed four days to recover. He still has some problems but we had to decide whether to start with him (at Fulham) or use him from the bench.[LNB]'We decided that it was better to start with him, so he could warm-up properly. It was a difficult decision, as we knew it could be a risk and we might lose him for even more time.

Source: Liverpool_Echo