Source: Team_Talk
Reds stars set for rest - Hodgson
Roy Hodgson will leave out some of Liverpool's big names for the Europa League trip to face Napoli as he has one eye on the weekend.[LNB] The Reds face an increasingly-important match against Blackburn at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday.[LNB]The likes of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard will remain on Merseyside when the squad flies out to Naples later on Wednesday.[LNB]Hodgson will also be without Glen Johnson, who missed the derby defeat at Everton with a hamstring problem, and Daniel Agger, who is ill.[LNB]But, having slipped to second-bottom in the league after just one victory in eight games, Hodgson is rightly prioritising domestic affairs.[LNB]"I'll leave some players out - that's for sure," he said.[LNB]"Some of the more important senior players won't travel because their participation on Sunday is going to be so important to us.[LNB]"It's not just a question of playing three matches in a week it's also a question of injury.[LNB]"I don't think our squad is so strong that I can afford to risk them.[LNB]"But it'll still be a strong team we put out there and I think it's a chance for some players who have been on the fringes, like David Ngog and others like Ryan Babel who has had very few chances.[LNB]"It's yet another opportunity for these players to blast their way into the team and force me to look at them in a different light, to make sure they are players that are first on the list and not down the pecking order."[LNB]On the current injury problems, Hodgson added: "After being injured, Agger is now sick, so he has ruled himself out.[LNB]"Dirk Kuyt has a wicked ankle injury. Everyone tells me it looks worse than it really is and I certainly hope that is the case because it does not look good. It is still very badly swollen.[LNB]"Christian Poulsen has recovered and is okay.[LNB]"Glen Johnson is still out injured but I would hope he would be back in training when we return on Friday - so he's not ruled out for Sunday but is for Thursday."
