Rafa is making some disturbing noises prior to tomorrow’s Premiership meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates. Once again the Liverpool boss has given fantasy managers the fear by hinting at rotating his side – including some of his key players – for the second of three fixtures with Wenger’s side in seven days [source].

“I will need to think carefully about my team for the league match,” remarked Rafa today. “Torres and Gerrard will need to be strong for the second leg, and Kuyt ran himself to a standstill on Wednesday”.

What exactly does that mean for tomorrow’s team selection? Difficult to say. Rafa has threatened rotation against Newcastle prior to the Inter Champions League game but still went with both Torres and Gerrard. They both went on to score. Crouch and Voronin do give Rafa options to rest Torres but Rafa does go on to hint that his star striker may not need to be rested prior to the Champions League second leg on Tuesday.

“Maybe we will need to change some players. The age may be the key. Fernando can recover in two days, but Sami [Hyypia] could take five. We will have to wait and see” continued Rafa.

My bet is that Crouch will get his chance tomorrow though, with Benayoun and Pennant also figuring for Kuyt and Babel. Arbeloa is set to return at right-back with Hyypia dropping to the bench to allow Carragher to shift to the centre. As for Gerrard, – that’s a tough one. With Mascherano suspended, Lucas will again start in midfield. I would say that would limit Rafa’s options enough to see Gerrard get a start.