Updated: April 7, 2008, 1:55 PM ET
Pennant sustained a hamstring injury in Saturday's 1-1 Barclays
Premier League draw at the Emirates and is out of the tie, also
delicately balanced at 1-1 after last week's first leg in north
London.
Daniel Agger and Harry Kewell are both still long-term injury
absentees but otherwise manager Rafael Benitez has a full
complement to chose from and will bring back the host of senior
players rested for Saturday's match.
Javier Mascherano, suspended for the league clash, is certain to
play.
Meanwhile, boss Rafael Benitez has insisted the Champions League
is Arsenal's only chance of winning a trophy this season.
The Liverpool boss engineered a 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw
with the Gunners at the Emirates on Saturday that all but finished
the north Londoners' title challenge.
Being out of the title race is a situation Benitez and Liverpool
have accepted weeks ago, but the Spaniard now believes that Arsenal
and manager Arsene Wenger are in the same boat.
That makes Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg a
winner-takes-all showdown for the two English giants.
And the outcome of the tie will dictate the success of failure
of both clubs and their managers this season.
Benitez, with a priceless away goal from last week's engrossing
1-1 draw in the first leg, said: "If they want to win a trophy then
it must be this game because it will be very difficult to win the
Premier League.
"Before the game on Saturday they knew they had to win to stay
in the title race.
"He (Wenger) changed five players, but had to bring back his big
players trying to win the game.
"Maybe afterwards he felt that the race for the title is over.
But then United drew at Middlesbrough, so he will maybe think that
their chance has returned.
"But I still believe this game at Anfield will be the most
important match they have if they want to win a trophy.''
Robin van Persie is back in contention for Arsenal ahead of the
Champions League quarter-final second leg.
The Holland striker had been struggling with a thigh muscle
problem and missed the 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw against the
Reds at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday but has been included in
the 18-man squad which travelled to Merseyside.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger rested several players at the
weekend, and is likely to recall leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor,
Alexander Hleb, Gael Clichy and Philippe Senderos to the starting
line-up.
Midfielder Abou Diaby is available as his suspension is only
domestic, but full-back Bacary Sagna (ankle) and Tomas Rosicky
(hamstring) remain sidelined, while luckless striker Eduardo is out
for the season with a broken leg.
Defiant Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has declared his team's
season remains very much alive on both fronts as they head into the
Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield.
Wenger accepts the Gunners have been through a "dip'' with just
two wins from their last 11 games, which has seen them overtaken at
the top of the Barclays Premier League by both Chelsea and
Manchester United.
Liverpool would seem to have the upper hand in their European
tie, having drawn the first leg 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium to bag
themselves a crucial away goal.
Arsenal were again unable to get the better of the Reds for the
second time in a week during their league encounter on
Saturday.
However, as leaders United failed to beat Middlesbrough at the
Riverside Stadium on Sunday, Wenger is in no doubt his men still
have every chance of wresting the title away from Sir Alex
Ferguson's side, whom they face at Old Trafford this weekend.
The Arsenal manager insisted: "I still believe we will finish
champions in the Premier League. The result (at Middlesbrough)
helped a lot.
"If they had won, I would have thought we could not (win the
league) but, now, I still believe we'll do it.''
Wenger continued: "We did have a dip recently, it's true. We
can't deny that. But football is strange sometimes.
"It is possible we can win the last five games. Of course, I
said that before the Liverpool game as well, but I said five games
and one draw would make it.
"It is compulsory that we win at Old Trafford if we want to win
the championship.''
