Rodgers says he's not taking Hearts lightly despite leaving stars behind

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists he is not taking victory over Hearts for granted despite his decision to rest key players for the clash at Tynecastle.

Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson have all been left on Merseyside ahead of Thursday night's Europa League play-off first leg.
That means some fringe players will be involved against the Jambos, with one eye on Sunday's Barclays Premier League visit of champions Manchester City.

Not taking it lightly: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he is going out to win the game despite leaving a number of players behind

Asked if his squad selection means he sees the match with Hearts as being a straightforward one, Rodgers said: 'Not at all. We had a tough game away in Gomel (in the previous round).

 

'It was a very difficult game and thankfully we won the game 1-0.

'Hearts will be a very, very difficult game for us. I've still taken a squad here that is a strong group.
'It's a chance to see some young players but I've got some strong, experienced players.
'There are international captains and Champions League winners so it's still a strong enough squad.
'It will be a difficult game. Tynecastle is a wonderful, tight little ground and supporters will be behind their team and there are some good players.'
He added: "We've got a very small squad to be fair so I've got to try to protect some of the players.

Watching on: Brendan Rodgers stands and observes training

'We played for over half an hour with 10 men on Saturday as well and we've got a massive game at the weekend.
'I trust my players, I trust the group, and whatever team we put out will always be to win the game.
'We want to do well in the competition but it's a great opportunity for me to see the young players mixed in along with some of the experienced players.'
For Rodgers, the league may be the priority but he also wants Liverpool to progress on the European stage.
He said: 'Our main objective is the league - there is no question about that.

Not complacent: Rodgers is not taking Hearts lightly

'When you work at Liverpool - whether as a player or manager - every game is important.
'It's a very important game for us, we want to do well.
'The objective over the two games is to get through to the group stages.
'It's certainly a game we want to win and we want to qualify over the course of the two games. We will pick strong teams that we think can do that.'

Putting the practice in: Liverpool squad during training at Tynecastle

Hearts suffered an emphatic 5-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham at Tynecastle in the Europa League last season.
But Rodgers believes there is no chance of complacency within his ranks, despite the Edinburgh club's recent record against English opposition.
He said: 'It's certainly something that I've noticed in my short time here, that they are allergic to complacency.
'There is no question about that. They focus every day and their concentration is good.
'They'll understand the size of the task in terms of coming here and having to play well.

Alert: Joe Allen in action during a Liverpool training session

'I think Hearts will be better for that experience. They might have some regrets from last year.
'The game was over early on and it left them with an uphill task going forward. I'm sure they will be right up for this game.'
Liverpool endured a disappointing start to the season with a 3-0 defeat at West Brom, which saw Daniel Agger sent-off.
The Anfield boss said: 'We were obviously disappointed at the time.
'Like I said to them after the game, on reflection on the Monday, we could live that day 1,000 times over and it probably would never be worse than it was on the day. Everything went against us.
'They are a very honest group and they don't need telling that in terms of result it wasn't so good.
'But in terms of going forward, I learned things from the game, which is important, and there were some real good moments that, going forward, will be good for us.'