Roy Hodgson has backed his starlets to rise to the occasion and help Liverpool secure a place in the last 32 of the Europa League against Steaua Bucharest on Thursday night.
A youthful Reds' squad touched down in Bucharest in sub-zero temperatures on Wednesday afternoon aiming to secure the point they require against the Romanian side to qualify from Group K.
Established stars such as Fernando Torres, Raul Meireles, Glen Johnson and Dirk Kuyt joined Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in remaining behind on Merseyside as Hodgson opted to hand an opportunity to players on the fringes of the first-team.
Fit-again Joe Cole was also amongst the 19-man squad that left John Lennon airport, as were John Flanagan, Jack Robinson and Nathan Eccleston - and the boss is confident those that have travelled will be determined to use the contest as a chance to stake a claim for regular action.
He told his pre-match press conference: "I have faith in the players. There are many players who will start tomorrow night who are desperate to show me what they can do in a Liverpool shirt.
"Many will feel they haven't had that many opportunities so far, and it's good to be able to give them that opportunity especially against a good team because I know anyone who comes through tomorrow's game with credit will also be capable of going into the Barclays Premier League because the team we are playing is a top-class European opponent."
Carragher joined Gerrard on the Melwood treatment table after sustaining a shoulder injury against Tottenham on Sunday that will rule him out for up to three months.
However, Hodgson hinted he may have been tempted to shuffle his pack regardless and afford his senior stars a rest ahead of Monday's Barclays Premier League clash with Aston Villa.
He said: "I don't know if it (Carragher injury) has made it imperative (to rotate the squad), but it is important for us to do so at this stage of the season on the back of international matches and the injury situation we are facing.
"It is one of the few opportunities I will get between now and Christmas to give some people a game and a chance to break into what has been a fairly settled first team. There are a lot of players who will play tomorrow who will be really anxious to take that opportunity to show me I should be considering them for a place in the starting XI."
Asked about what it means to Liverpool to lose Carragher for such a lengthy period of time, Hodgson added: "It's a major blow. I don't think any team can be anything other than really disheartened by losing a player of Jamie Carragher's quality, both in terms of his ability and what he brings to the club and the team as a leader on the field.
"It was a strange accident, one that wasn't even self evident when it occurred, and I suppose that makes it even harder to accept we are going to lose him for a long period of the season when he has been a key figure in our defending and the way we're trying to play.
"It would be foolish to suggest it will be easy to replace him - it won't. I can only hope the players we have at the club, who will now get their chance in his absence, will be able to come in and fill the gap."
Liverpool head into the game on the back of the harsh 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, in which the disappointment of Aaron Lennon's injury-time winner was compounded by the shoulder knock sustained by Carragher.
Having had three days to mull over events at White Hart Lane, Hodgson believes there are positives to be taken from the Reds' display.
He said: "In some ways, having digested at least to some extent the real bitter blow of conceding that goal in the 93rd minute in a state of disarray on the field with Jamie having had to go off and Soto (Kyrgiakos) having quickly to come on, I still think in many ways the team and the club is getting stronger.
"I suppose I should take some satisfaction from that and hopefully that strength and ability we've got to play at a good level will stand us in good stead between now and the middle of May. There is a lot of football still to play. I am heartened by the fact we played so well on Sunday, and that has been recognised so universally."
He added: "The away form has been bad for a long period of time, not just during my five months - it goes beyond that, unfortunately. We haven't done well away from home in terms of results.
"It would be wrong to say I am not concerned about it, but strangely enough we have actually produced some quite good performances away from home, but the results haven't always followed. I have got to hope we can keep performing well and then the results will follow."
It's been a week of landmark results in the world of football with Barcelona's 5-0 demolition of Real Madrid followed up by a 4-0 Carling Cup success for West Ham United against Manchester United on Tuesday night.
Reporters at the Steaua Stadium were eager to know whether Hodgson held any concerns of Liverpool being on the receiving end of a similar scoreline having opted to leave key players behind on Merseyside.
The boss, however, was robust in his response.
He said: "We will see what happens tomorrow night. I am never afraid of results - you have to live with them.
"I am confident the team that plays will go out and give their best, and I am confident we will give Steaua a very good game. But there are three possible results and whatever happens I will have to live with it."
Steaua have changed managers since they were comprehensively dispatched 4-1 by Liverpool in September, with Marius Lacatus taking over from Ilie Dumitrescu.
"We had more information about the Steaua team before the first game," said Hodgson.
"We haven't had so many opportunities to watch them since Marius Lacatus took over from Ilie Dumitrescu, but I don't think, knowing that the players haven't changed too much from the first game, that there will be major differences.
"Steaua actually played very well at Liverpool. The 4-1 scoreline flattered us. We are perfectly aware we are going to be in for a tough night and I am certain Lacatus has done as good a job as Dumitrescu."
Meanwhile, local journalists asked Hodgson what images his mind conjured up upon hearing the name 'Romania'.
He replied: "I remember a match in 1994, which was a very important match for me when Switzerland had qualified for the World Cup for the first time in many years.
"Our second match (of the World Cup finals) was against the Romanian national team in Detroit. It was a good game which we fortunately won, so I suppose for many years when Romania is mentioned my thoughts have turned to that game.
"Before this game against Steaua with Liverpool, I had never had the chance to face Romanian opponents except from that game in America in the World Cup."
Author: James Carroll in Bucharest
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