Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson says he is ready to lead from the front as his injury-hit side aim to avoid more misery at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday.
With Reds captain Steven Gerrard likely to be sidelined for up to three weeks with a hamstring problem and Lucas Leiva out for six weeks with a thigh injury, central midfield looks a vulnerable area for Brendan Rodgers’s team.
But Henderson, tipped as a potential Liverpool skipper when Gerrard leaves at the end of the season, is likely to start alongside Joe Allen at Selhurst Park and the England international is keen to show he can shoulder the responsibility of driving his team to victory.
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“To lose Lucas first was a big blow because he has been outstanding for us since he came into the team as that defensive, holding midfielder,” Henderson said.
“Obviously Stevie (Gerrard) is a big loss, even though it is not as long (as Lucas), but there are some big games coming up that he might not be involved in.
“But it is another chance for people to come in and show what they are made of and slot straight into the team. Hopefully someone can do that.
“Maybe I need to take more responsibility with those two players gone.”
Last season, several of Rodgers’s team left the field in tears after squandering their last chance of winning the Premier League title as they blew a three-goal lead in an epic 3-3 draw at Selhurst Park.
They fared even worse on their first return since then to Palace, where they haven’t won since 1997, as the Eagles, then managed by Neil Warnock, romped to a 3-1 win in November that Rodgers regards as his club’s lowest point of the season.
Palace’s recently appointed manager Alan Pardew also has history in this fixture after famously scoring the winning goal when the Eagles shocked Liverpool in the 1990 FA Cup semi-finals.
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