Liverpool duo Gerrard, Carragher to miss Toulouse contest

Aug 27, 2007, 19:17 GMT

Liverpool, England - Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez confirmed on Monday that the team will be without captain Steven Gerrard and defender Jamie Carragher for the second leg of Liverpool's Champions League qualifier against Toulouse on Tuesday.

Carragher is recovering from a rib injury that he suffered in the team's 2-0 win against Sunderland on Saturday, while Gerrard has a broken toe.

Gerrard suffered the injury in the first leg at Toulouse nearly two weeks ago. He played that weekend's game against Chelsea with a pain-killing injection, but missed England's friendly with Germany and Liverpool's contest on Saturday.

'It's clear that with Steven we need to take care of him,' Benitez said. 'He could be available for the game at the weekend but we'll have to see. I will need to talk to the doctor first because I don't want to run the risk of losing him for a long time.'

Benitez is holding out hope that Gerrard could be available for the Reds game on Saturday against Derby.

Sami Hyypia also suffered an injury in Saturday's game as he broke his nose, but the defender will play on Tuesday despite the injury.

With Hyypia in the lineup, Benitez will not have to reshuffle his back line too dramatically with Carragher out. Daniel Agger and Alvaro Arbeloa will both be available to play the center back position in Carragher's place.

© 2007 The Sports Network