You'll have plenty to celebrate when you subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Brendan Rodgers says he has a decision to make about the fitness of Joe Allen ahead of Tuesday’s Merseyside derby.

Allen missed Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup win at Bournemouth having complained of a tight hamstring in training last week.

The Welsh midfielder, beset by injury problems in the last 12 months, is now a major doubt for the visit of Everton.

For Rodgers, it is the latest in a long line of casualties.

The Reds boss will already be without Jose Enrique, Daniel Agger, Lucas Leiva and Glen Johnson, while Mamadou Sakho is a doubt with his own hamstring problem.

Rodgers drafted in youngsters Steven Sama, Jordon Ibe, Brad Smith and Joao Carlos Teixeira to his travelling party for Bournemouth, and says he will need to assess the risk in selecting Allen at Anfield for what promises to be a pivotal game in Liverpool’s season.

He said: “It will be a question mark with Joe. He can be fit to play, but it is about how big the risk is with him.

“It’s been difficult for him to get a rhythm. When he came back he was doing really well. But we just need to weigh up the risk with him.

“He could play on Tuesday and make it worse, and be out for three or four weeks, or he could miss Tuesday and then be alright with those extra few days.

“But either way, we will go away and recover and look forward to Tuesday.”

In pictures: Merseyside Derby A to Z

He added: “There’s everything at stake. It’s a massive game. You have two teams that want to impose their style on the game, and dominate the ball. There are great attacking threats in both teams.

“And then added to that you’ve got a city that’s steeped in real passion for the game. I’ve loved the derbies. They go so fast! I’m really hoping we can use the home advantage, which has been great for us this season, and get a win that would put us four points clear of Everton.

“The most important thing is to go and stay relaxed but focused. If the performance is good, the result will take care of itself.”

Goals from Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge at the Goldsands Stadium secured the Reds a fifth-round tie with Arsenal. Rodgers said he was pleased with his side’s “professionalism” in seeing off Championship opposition, but insisted he was still looking to add to his squad before Friday’s transfer deadline.

He said: “I’d always want more, there’s no question about that. We want to strengthen the squad. But if we don’t, it certainly won’t be because the club hasn’t tried. It’s just about getting the right types of players.

“Our squad has been thin most of the season. We’ve been unfortunate that we’ve had a number of injuries of late.

“But my first look will always be towards the young players. We had some young players on the bench at Bournemouth and who travelled with us. That’s the whole point of youth development.

“If I have to work with what I’ve got, we will do what we have done all season, and try to maximise what we can get out of them. We know that other squads are massive, but that’s the nature of it.”

More on LFC today:

Kolo Toure says winning the Merseyside derby could set up Liverpool's season , while the Reds face FA Cup showdown at Arsenal week after Anfield league clash and Victor Moses hoping for Mersey derby start after FA Cup boost .

Click here for James Pearce's verdict on the win at Bournemouth .

And this is the link to our Merseyside derby live build up blog which will be running all day .