- Liverpool play Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday at 1.30pm
- Rodgers confirms Adam Lallana 'will definitely be in the squad'
- Reds
manager said while there may not be any new signings, more players will
be 'going out than coming in' before the end of the
- Mario Balotelli, the Reds' £16m signing, will be available for the first time
- Mario is 'a class act' but 'It's not the Balotelli show,' the manager said
- Liverpool won last year's Premier Legaue fixtures against Spurs 5-0 and 4-0
Adam Lallana
is set to make his Liverpool debut at Tottenham on Sunday, Reds boss
Brendan Rodgers confirmed after the £25 million summer signing from
Southampton impressed at training during the week.
Lallana
has recovered from a knee ligament injury picked up during training in
Boston on Liverpool's pre-season tour of the US and joins striker Mario
Balotteli among new faces available to Rodgers at White Hart Lane.
'Adam Lallana will definitely be in the squad,' Rodgers confirmed on Friday. 'He has looked fantastic in training.'
With
Monday's 11pm transfer deadline looming Rodgers has said there'll more
likely be a clear out of sorts than any further big name arrivals at
Merseyside.
'There aren't many more to come in, if any at all. We will have more going out than coming in,' Rodgers said.
'We
have brought players in who can affect the team. That is the beauty of
it. We are not relying on them all to make a difference.'
Jordon Ibe's loan departure to Derby County was confirmed earlier on Friday.
Jose
Enrique will be available to Rodgers on Sunday although Glen Johnson
will likely miss out due to thigh complaint. Questions marks hover over
Alberto Moreno and Martin Skrtel, who picked up knocks during Monday's
loss to Manchester City.
His most
high profile addition Balotteli has been buoyant at training all week
and slotted in well at the club, Rodgers said, but the manager was keen
to avert the spotlight from his high-profile signing.
The
£16 million arrival from AC Milan gives Rodgers a good dilemma as to
whether or not he hands the controversial but talented forward an
instant debut.
Fans
have also responded positively to Balotelli's arrival, congregating at
Melwood to get a glimpse of the former City marksman. But when asked at
his pre-match press conference about the Italy striker, Rodgers issued a
reminder that there is more than one man in his squad.
'Mario is fine and has settled in very well, but the focus is on his football,' Rodgers said.
'Balotelli
is a class act. He is moving to Merseyside. But it's not the Balotelli
show. The star of this team will always be the team.'
Liverpool
face Spurs on the back of a convincing loss to defending champions
Manchester City but Rodgers is certain his side can pick themselves up
quickly.
He
said: 'We have been good at bouncing back. It's a strange feeling but
we are not used to losing. That's not sounding arrogant. We were flat
coming off the pitch but there was a lot to be positive about.'
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