Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez will give Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres until the last minute to prove their fitness for this weekend's clash with Manchester United.
The star pair are battling to be fit for the first big title showdown of the season after picking up knocks last month.
Torres is hoping to shake off the hamstring strain he picked up in the goalless draw at Aston Villa, while Gerrard is recovering from groin surgery.
Gerrard appeared to rule himself out of the Anfield showdown at United by claiming earlier this week he was unlikely to be fit.
However, Benitez has refused to count the England midfielder out of his plans just yet.
"It is always more difficult to prepare for the match with injuries because you know that if they are fit we will use them, but in this case you never know," he told the club's official website
"It is better to avoid saying whether they can be available - it is difficult to say if they can play or not because they may have not played for 10 or 15 days. But they are both working hard with the physios and are improving, so there's still some time to decide."
On Gerrard, Benitez added: "You never know, he is still progressing. The key is the fitness of the player - it makes a massive difference if he has confidence. That is the main thing for him."
If the duo fail to recover in time, Benitez is confident the rest of his squad can rise to the challenge of facing the champions.
"Clearly we have enough quality in the squad, so it is always important to look to the other players and sometimes they can give more to you than the big names.
"They can have the same quality and passion and they also have a lot to prove to the supporters."
The star pair are battling to be fit for the first big title showdown of the season after picking up knocks last month.
Torres is hoping to shake off the hamstring strain he picked up in the goalless draw at Aston Villa, while Gerrard is recovering from groin surgery.
Gerrard appeared to rule himself out of the Anfield showdown at United by claiming earlier this week he was unlikely to be fit.
However, Benitez has refused to count the England midfielder out of his plans just yet.
"It is always more difficult to prepare for the match with injuries because you know that if they are fit we will use them, but in this case you never know," he told the club's official website
"It is better to avoid saying whether they can be available - it is difficult to say if they can play or not because they may have not played for 10 or 15 days. But they are both working hard with the physios and are improving, so there's still some time to decide."
On Gerrard, Benitez added: "You never know, he is still progressing. The key is the fitness of the player - it makes a massive difference if he has confidence. That is the main thing for him."
If the duo fail to recover in time, Benitez is confident the rest of his squad can rise to the challenge of facing the champions.
"Clearly we have enough quality in the squad, so it is always important to look to the other players and sometimes they can give more to you than the big names.
"They can have the same quality and passion and they also have a lot to prove to the supporters."
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