Alonso in race to be fit

Both Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso were injured in Saturday's victory over Portsmouth but while Garcia has shaken off his injury and is ready to play, Alonso's fate is still uncertain.

"Luis is okay but we will discover more about Xabi today," said Rafael Benitez.

"He received a kick on his patella and needs a scan before we know how serious he is. We can't say yet if he will be fit for Wednesday or not."