Houllier eager for Reds response

The Frenchman sternly warned his team that they could 'rot in the reserves' if the lacklustre attitude shown by many high-earning squad members did not improve, and he believes his message has had the desired effect.

Houllier said: "They got the message. This club is a nice club with nice people and good facilities and now the players have got to respond.

"It's a shame we will only have 60 per cent of our strikeforce for such an important game. We have a depleted team but I know the players will give it their best tomorrow. The team will be picked carefully to make sure of that."