Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera ruled out for a month
• Midfielders break down with hamstring injuries
• Liverpool wait on extent of injury to Glen Johnson
Rafael Benítez's worst fears over the fitness of Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera have been confirmed after the Liverpool midfielders were diagnosed with torn hamstrings that could sideline them for a month.
The Liverpool manager has been beset by injury problems during a dreadful sequence of one win in nine games and immediately suspected hamstring tears after the duo limped out of Monday's draw with Birmingham City.
Scans have confirmed Benítez's worries and, although the club have refused to put a timeframe on their recovery, they are expected to be out for around three to four weeks. Riera was absent for three weeks with his initial hamstring injury, only to aggravate the problem just 45 minutes into his return against Alex McLeish's side.
The losses of Riera and particularly Benayoun represent major setbacks for Benítez, who, with the notable exception of Fernando Torres, had reason to believe his injury crisis was easing before the Birmingham game. Benayoun and Riera will almost certainly miss the home game with Manchester City on 21 November plus the European trip to Hungary to face Debrecen three days later.
Liverpool must beat the Hungarian champions Debrecen to retain hope of advancing from the Champions League group stage, although qualification will be beyond Benítez's team should Fiorentina defeat Lyon in Italy on the same night.
The demanding sequence continues for Liverpool with the first Merseyside derby of the season at Everton on 29 November, when the Israel captain and Spain international could still be absent.
Liverpool should today discover the full extent of the calf problem that forced Glen Johnson's withdrawal from the England squad to meet Brazil in Doha this weekend. The right-back has been hindered by calf and groin injuries in recent weeks, and Daniel Agger withdrew from Denmark's squad for friendlies against South Korea and the United States after suffering a reaction to a persistent back problem against Birmingham. Liverpool are hopeful, however, that the Dane's complaint will not cause another long-term lay-off.
Torres and Steven Gerrard are continuing to receiving daily treatment on their respective hernia and adductor problems as Liverpool attempt to eradicate the need for their key talents to undergo surgery. "We will see how he reacts," Benítez said of the Spain striker yesterday. "We are not considering an operation yet. We haven't got a deadline. We just need to see how he is every day."
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