Liverpool are taking Besiktas game ‘seriously’ says Brendan Rodgers [divider]

Liverpool will be taking the Europa League Round of 32 second-leg game against Beşiktaş seriously according to Brendan Rodgers.

The Liverpool head coach decided to leave Coutinho in England and will be without eight players going into the second-leg.

Rodgers underlined that his side are as focused on the Europa League as they are on the league.

“It’s about getting the balance,” Rodgers told the official Liverpool website.

“We take it seriously and want to get through, but we also want to progress in the league.”

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Rodgers will be without Steven Gerrard, Lucas, Jordan Henderson, Sakho and Glen Johnson due to injury.

Lazar Markovic will also miss the game as he is serving the second match of his four-game European ban.

Rodgers still believes his side have enough depth and quality to make it through to the next stage of the competition.

“We’ve got a lot of players and that’s why they were brought in. Obviously we are stretched at the moment. We are playing a lot of games this season because we’ve had a successful couple of years,” he added.

Beşiktaş will be without the suspended Ersan Gülüm and Ramon Motta. First choice goalkeeper Tolga Zengin and defender Alexander Milosevic are out injured.