Reds captain Steven Gerrard has been left out of the squad that travelled to Portugal but record signing Andy Carroll is set for his European debut. Gerrard has been nursing a slight groin problem over the last week and remains on Merseyside to rest. However, Carroll, a £35million January transfer from Newcastle, has been officially included for the first time having made his Reds bow as a substitute in Sunday's 3-1 win over Manchester United. The 22-year-old will continue his gradual introduction to the first team with a likely place on the bench on Thursday. Manager Kenny Dalglish has defensive worries with both Martin Kelly and Fabio Aurelio out for a month with hamstring injuries while Daniel Agger is out with a calf problem. Teenager Danny Wilson played out of position at left-back in the previous round against Sparta Prague and may be asked to continue, with Glen Johnson reverting to his more familiar right-sided role. Young reserve team full-backs John Flanagan and Emmanuel Mendy have been included in the squad. Luis Suarez (ineligible) and the injured Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey have also travelled with the team. Liverpool (from): Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Wilson, Lucas, Poulsen, Kuyt, Meireles, Cole, Ngog, Jones, Gulacsi, Hansen, Kyrgiakos, Spearing, Rodriguez, Carroll, Pacheco, Flanagan, Mendy.
