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Brendan Rodgers is ready to leave Steven Gerrard out of Liverpool FC’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tomorrow night.

The Reds boss says Saturday’s clash with Chelsea has to be the priority and he’s prepared to rest his captain to ensure he’s firing on all cylinders against the Premier League leaders.

Going into battle against the class of Real Madrid without Gerrard would appear to be a major risk considering the lack of European experience at Rodgers’ disposal.

But the Northern Irishman makes no apologies for having one eye on the visit of Chelsea.

Asked if Gerrard could be left out, Rodgers said: “It is something I need to look at. Him and I have spoken about that.

“It’s three big games - Newcastle, Madrid and then Chelsea. I need to look at a number of players to look at the games we want them to play in. That is something I will look at and we will see how that shapes up.

“In Steven’s case, if he is playing on Saturday I have got to look at what is the priority for him and us.

“But there is no doubt that our priorities are the Premier League and the Champions League. But in that order.

“If we want to develop we need to ensure we are in the top four but we also want to qualify from this group.”

If Gerrard, who has been ever present in the league and in Europe so far this term, is rested then Jordan Henderson will captain Liverpool, whose hopes of qualifying from Group B will still be alive regardless of tonight’s result.

Rodgers is also likely to recall expensive summer signings Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana, who played no part in Saturday’s dismal league defeat to Newcastle.

“I don’t see it as a gamble,” he said.

“This week and these games against the likes of Real Madrid I see as a great opportunity for the squad. You put them out there and you put your trust in them to perform.

“All I will do as the manager is give them that opportunity to perform.

“I also respect that maybe we have players who cannot play three high level games in a week for whatever reason. I have to think about that in preparation for the weekend.

“I also understand that we want to have a team that can come here and win and that is what we want to do.

“I don’t see it as experimenting. We have spent an awful lot of money on players to come in.

“If at the end of this cycle of games they haven’t performed, they can never say they haven’t been given a chance.

“For me, whether it is Real Madrid, Newcastle or Chelsea, I am putting my faith in the squad and these players to perform. That is not being pragmatic.

“It is why you have a squad to come and get results. There’s no point us bringing players in if we cannot put them into the team to perform.”