Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has handed midfielder Joe Cole just his third start of the season in the side to face Anzhi Makhachkala in their Europa League clash.

The 31-year-old’s campaign has been marred by a hamstring injury he picked up in the first game of the Premier League season when the Reds lost 3-0 to West Brom.

He made a return to action in their 3-1 defeat to Swansea in the Captial One Cup but was replaced at half-time and missed the 1-1 draw with Newcastle last weekend.

Elsewhere, youngster Conor Coady has been handed his full Liverpool debut by Rodgers in a youthful side which also includes 19-year-old full-back Jon Flanagan and 18-year-old striker Adam Morgan.

Brad Jones continues in goal in the absence of Pepe Reina, while Jamie Carragher and Sebastian Coates form the centre-back pairing replacing Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger. There are also starts for Jonjo Shelvey, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson in midfield.

Liverpool XI: Jones; Wisdom, Carragher, Coates, Flanagan; Shelvey, Henderson, Coady, Downing; Cole; Morgan.

Subs: Gulacsi, Wilson, Robinson, Assaidi, Pacheco, Suso, Sama.

Anzhi XI: Gabulov; Logashov, Samba, Joao Carlos, Tagirbekov; Ahmedov, Jucilei, Zhirkov; Eto’o, Boussoufa, Traore.

Subs: Pomazan, Gadzhibekov, Agalarov, Lakhiyalov, Carcela-Gonzalez, Smolov, Burmistrov.