Duo in fitness race

Liverpool will give both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres late fitness tests ahead of the clash with Birmingham City on Monday.

The duo were thought to have no chance of playing in the clash at Anfield but Benitez is now hopeful that one of, if not both, of the pair can play.

Benitez revealed at the pre-match press conference that there was no light at the end of the tunnel in regard to injuries and the hope is with the extra couple of days to prepare, there will be a healthier look to the squad.

"We are improving. We have some players doing light training again. At least they are training and hopefully today they will be a bit better," said the Spaniard.

"We will see if they can be available. There is a big difference between players being fit and whether they can be available.

"It is something we have to analyse. For example, yesterday Gerrard was training with the physios on his day off. He is improving. We don't know if he will be fit. We don't know if he will be available. We will have to analyse the situation. He was injured before and has now been 15 days without training with the team.

"Can he play or can he be on the bench? At this moment we do not know."

As for Torres, Benitez said: "He has gone to Spain to see a specialist. We have also been in contact with our medical staff. We know that he is a little bit better than he was before.

"He still has some problems and will be working with the physios. We don't know if he can face Birmingham. He can train, but we will have to manage the situation. After all this we will make a decision."