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Fernando Torres a doubt for West Ham after being hit by bug

Mar 5 2008

EXCLUSIVE by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

FERNANDO TORRES is a major doubt for Liverpool's meeting with West Ham at Anfield tonight, having picked up a bug. The Reds' top scorer was absent from training yesterday and unless he makes a dramatic recovery is unlikely to be involved against the Hammers. If, as expected, Torres is unavailable, manager Rafa Benitez is likely to offer a first team recall to Peter Crouch, who has had to settle for a place on the bench in recent weeks. Should Liverpool win tonight they will go above Everton into fourth place in the Premier League and Benitez today called on his players to take advantage of their game in hand on their Merseyside rivals. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT He said: "We have been waiting a long time to play this game and now it is here we must take advantage of it. "We need to take the confidence from Sunday's win against Bolton into tonight's game. "But we also have to be careful because West Ham are a good team with good players and we know it will be difficult against them." Benitez is still smarting from a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Alan Curbishley's side just over a month ago. On that occasion, Liverpool lost despite having dominated long spells of the game when Mark Noble slotted home an injury time penalty. "I was disappointed that night," admitted the Reds boss. "We dominated most of the second half and had chances but could not score. "But that is in the past and tonight we must be positive because we are playing well and creating chances." Meanwhile, Daniel Agger came through his second reserve team appearance in less than a week unscathed. The Danish defender played an hour of last night's 1-0 win over Bolton and suffered no ill effects. Having stepped up his rehabilitation from a metatarsal injury, Agger will now be looking to win his place back in the team.

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