Johnson, Agger To Miss Napoli Clash

Roy Hodgson has revealed that both Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger have been ruled out of Liverpool's Europa League clash with Napoli on Thursday evening.
The defensive duo missed the Merseyside derby defeat at the weekend through injury and the boss admitted they will not be on the plane to Italy. Hodgson told Liverpoolfc.tv: "After being injured, Agger is now sick, so he has ruled himself out. "Dirk Kuyt has a wicked ankle injury. Everyone tells me it looks worse than it really is and I certainly hope that is the case because it does not look good. It is still very badly swollen. "Christian Poulsen has recovered and is okay. "Glen Johnson is still out injured but I saw he is running today and I would hope he would be back in training when we return on Friday. So he's not ruled out for Sunday - but is for Thursday." Hodgson also confirmed that he will shuffle his pack for the trip to Naples ahead of Sunday's crunch Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn. He added: "I'll leave some players out that's for sure. Some of the more important senior players won't travel because their participation on Sunday is going to be so important to us. "It's not just a question of playing three matches in a week it's also a question of injury. I don't think our squad is so strong that I can afford to risk them. But it'll still be a strong team we put out there and I think it's a chance for some players who have been on the fringes, like David Ngog and others like Ryan Babel who has had very few changes. "It's yet another opportunity for these players to blast their way into the team and force me to look at them in a different light, to make sure they are players that are first on the list and not down the pecking order."