Tottenham v Liverpool, White Hart Lane, 7.45: Liverpool's Champions League prospects received a timely boost last night with confirmation that Milan Baros may have recovered sufficiently from a hamstring injury to feature in next week's decisive final group game with Olympiakos.

The striker returned to training at Melwood yesterday well ahead of schedule having pulled his hamstring during the Czech Republic's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win in Macedonia only a fortnight ago.

Liverpool's leading scorer - with 10 goals in 18 appearances this season - hopes to be fit for the game against the Greeks, which the Merseysiders must win if they are to progress into the knock-out stage.

"Milan says he wants to play against Olympiakos and if everything goes okay there is a chance he will," said Rafael Benitez.

"He's jogging, so he could be ready in time for that game. It will give us options if he is fit and can make it, but we will have to wait and see. I don't want to use him too early and risk losing him for another two months."

Baros's return would be timely given the long-term injuries sustained recently by Luis Garcia and Djibril Cisse. Despite his shortage of strikers, Benitez has distanced himself from suggestions El-Hadji Diouf could be recalled from Bolton.

Steven Gerrard has returned from a broken metatarsal, but the midfielder wasn't included in the squad that travelled to London yesterday for tonight's English League Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Gerrard has remained instead on Merseyside to build up his overall fitness on the advice of the club doctor.

"We want to prepare the player for the future games," added Benitez. "We need the player fit for the Olympiakos game and at Aston Villa on Saturday. He always wants to play, but we are doing what is best for him - not in terms of this one game, but for the entire season."

Benitez will continue to rotate his squad for tonight's match. Jerzy Dudek will start in goal and winger Antonio Nunez, who made his first appearance for the club as a late substitute in the 2-1 win over Arsenal, will make his first start after recovering from knee problems.

Jermain Defoe could be handed a lucrative new contract at White Hart Lane despite having upset Martin Jol.

The Tottenham head coach is still furious with Defoe after he was booked for taking off his shirt when celebrating his goal against Middlesbrough on Sunday.

It was the England striker's fifth caution of the season, ruling him out of the Premiership trip to Manchester City on December 11th. But the 22-year-old is still in line to improve his wages at Spurs, understood to be worth around £15,000 a week.

Dean Richards has come through his first match since a brain tumour scare. The Spurs defender played the full 90 minutes for the reserves on Monday.

Guardian Service