Rafa Benitez has admitted he is relying on injured striker Fernando Torres to save Liverpool's Champions League dreams.

Only all three points against Group E leaders Lyon - who won at Anfield two weeks ago - in the Stade Gerland tonight will keep under-fire Benitez's European hopes alive.

Without the injured England midfielder Steven Gerrard, ruled out with a groin injury, Torres (below) will once again be asked to play through the pain barrier despite needing a hernia operation to cure his own groin problem.

"Fernando is improving," Benitez said. "We do not want him to have an operation, so we are managing his fitness carefully.

"But he is getting better. He had some pain after he played, and scored, against Manchester United. But he was better after the Fulham game at the weekend, although he could still feel something wrong."

Benitez lacks faith in his support strikers, with neither Andriy Voronin, Ryan Babel nor David N'gog trusted to lead the line. He added: "I hope that he [Torres] will be even better for this match. I said recently that 80 per cent of Fernando can win matches, I hope that is the case again."

Big summer signing Alberto Aquilani could start despite suffering from a virus and central defender Daniel Agger will face a fitness test for his back problem.

But it is Benitez's position at the Anfield helm that will come under further scrutiny should Lyon dish out a second defeat in a fortnight.

Benitez said: "Losing would be bad for us, bad for the club, but we will keep going. But we are not thinking that way, we are only thinking of winning.

"Our fans have not turned. They are clever people, they know the position the club was in when I arrived and they know what position it is in now.

"It is important for everyone to see the bigger picture, I am sure things will change in a few weeks when we have out players fit again. When we have our big players available everything will change."

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