Liverpool FC

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Reina ready to return

18 May 2007 - 11:36:10

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Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed that Jose Reina has recovered from the shoulder injury that forced him to miss the draw with Charlton Athletic and will be fit enough to play in the Champions League Final against AC Milan.

However, Benitez is still to decide who to use as wingers in Athens after Harry Kewell made an impressive return from a long-term groin injury in the last two weeks of the season.

Second-choice shot-stopper Jerzy Dudek has also recovered from a groin injury with Benitez saying: "Both keepers are okay and they will be okay for next Wednesday.

"I'm sure that both Pepe and Jerzy will be fit. Sissoko has started training now, and we will see. But I think all of them will be okay.

"There's only Fabio Aurelio and Luis Garcia injured. The rest of them will be fit.

"We now have options on both wings, these are the areas I am having to consider carefully.

"This involves Bolo (Zenden), Harry (Kewell) and Jermaine (Pennant) and I have not yet made my decision.

"We looked at all the players in the training camp and in every training session people were talking about Harry Kewell.

"He played well for half-an-hour against Charlton but we needed to see whether he is fit and then decide if he can play from the start or not. There's a lot for me to decide yet.

"What I know at the moment is that we are focused and we will be ready. The players are really thinking about this game and you could see in previous matches that, as much as you tried to push them, their minds were already on the Final.

"The only thing we can do now is to prepare properly for the game and approach it with confidence because it's easy to become nervous or stressed."