"Liverpool" captain Gerrard will have a duel with "Braga" © EuroFootball.com

In Thursday's Europa League match against Braga, Liverpool will have to cope without captain Steven Gerrard.

The 30-year-old team captain is still struggling with a groin injury and did not travel to Portugal.

Gerrard played in Sunday's match against Man Utd and helped secure a 3-1 victory, but it has been decided that he is not ready to take to the field in the second most prestigious European club football tournament.

In addition to Gerrard, Liverpool's list of injured players includes Fabio Aurelio, Martin Kelly, and Daniel Agger, while Luis Suarez cannot play in the Europa League because he has already been registered for the tournament with Ajax in Amsterdam.

However, manager Kenny Dalglish should have newcomer Andy Carroll at his disposal, who made his debut for the Liverpool team over the weekend.