Benitez expects Mascherano to return for Euro clash

Rafa Benitez is confident that Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano will be fit for the start of Liverpool’s Champions League campaign.

Mascherano was missing as his side demolished Burnley 4-0 at Anfield on Saturday, with his replacement Yossi Benayoun scoring the third hat-trick of his Liverpool career.

But Benitez expects Mascherano to be available for Wednesday’s game against Hungarian side Debrecen at Anfield after the midfielder was given special permission to remain in South America for treatment.

Mascherano suffered a pelvis injury playing for Argentina in their 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat against Paraguay on Wednesday.

“He will be back here tomorrow (Sunday),” said Benitez after his side recorded back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time this season.

“It’s not serious. He has had some problems and he’s been doing some tests over there.

“We gave him permission to stay there but he is coming back.”

If Mascherano is fit to play on Wednesday then Benitez faces something of a selection dilemma after Benayoun’s dazzling display.

Benayoun has impressed after coming on as a substitute this season although Benitez had been unconvinced that he was capable of making the same impact for the full 90 minutes.

Until Saturday that was. Benayoun showed he has the ability to be as lethal from the start of the game as his hat-trick inspired a comfortable victory as Liverpool overcame a sluggish start.

“We know that Yossi is a quality player,” Benitez said. “We have seen how good he is off the bench and we were talking whether he could do the same thing from the start of the match.

“He was fantastic. He is someone who has experience. He knows that the best way to fight for a place in the team is by doing something on the pitch.”

Liverpool twice failed to win against newly promoted Hull and Stoke at Anfield last season, results which eventually cost them the title.

But they saw off Burnley, promoted via the Championship play-offs, in style, with Dirk Kuyt also scoring.

“The second goal was the key for me,” added Benitez. “I was not happy with what I was seeing in the first few minutes because we didn’t start very well.”

Burnley manager Owen Coyle was left to bemoan his side’s defending. “We didn’t lose because we passed the ball, we lost because we gave away soft goals,” said Coyle.

“At 0-0 there was nothing in it and we started well. The start was the pleasing aspect.

“We lost the second goal when it was our most pleasing aspect of the game, when we were controlling the game.”

Benayoun broke the deadlock in the 27th minute.

He raced past Graham Alexander after cutting inside the area following a neat pass by Glen Johnson before firing low past Brian Jensen.

Kuyt doubled the lead with a simple tap-in – his second goal of the campaign – after Jensen had spilled Benayoun’s 20-yard effort into the path of the Dutchman.

Man-of-the-match Benayoun made it 3-0 on the hour mark after great play by Gerrard and Torres had cut the Clarets defence to pieces.

Liverpool rammed home their superiority nine minutes from time when Benayoun completed his hat-trick. He finished from close range after good work by Kuyt in front of the Kop.