Hodgson: Reds Can Still Win Without Gerrard And Torres

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has explained leaving Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard behind for tonight's Europa League tie at Napoli. Hodgson believes his side will be better served by having the star duo fresh for Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn Rovers at Anfield - and he is confident his squad has the necessary quality to secure a positive result in the absence of the pair. Hodgson told reporters: "They are perfectly okay. If I had asked them to play they would have been prepared to do so. "When it comes to Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, we have an important league game on Sunday. It is my decision and I thought that it would be better to spare them this game and to give the responsibility to other players in the squad tomorrow to show they deserve their place in the Liverpool squad and that they can do the job. "They've done well so far. In the six matches we've played in the Europa League, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have only played in a couple." He added: "It was very straightforward for me because it was a question of priority. We've got four points from two games in this group, so we have started well. We have got four matches left to play to get the maybe necessary six points we'll need to qualify."