Aquilani closing in on debut

Aquilani: Could face Gunners

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Rafa Benitez has revealed that Alberto Aquilani could make his long-awaited Liverpool debut against Arsenal in the Carling Cup on Wednesday.

The Italian international is yet to make his Reds bow since signing from Roma for £20million in the summer after ankle surgery.

The midfielder made his comeback for the reserves last week but only came on for the final 15 minutes meaning the 25-year-old is still way short in terms of match fitness.

However Reds manager Benitez has admitted that Aquilani will travel to Emirates Stadium with the rest of the squad and could feature from the bench having taken part in a full week's training ahead of the game.

"He will be with us. He is improving his fitness, so he's in the squad," the Spaniard told the club's official website.

"He cannot start at this moment but he will be there and maybe we can give him some minutes. If it's possible we will try to use him.

"We can see in every training session that he has quality, game intelligence and good movements. He is a different kind of player for us.

"We talk about using (Steven) Gerrard deeper sometimes, but maybe in Aquilani we have a player who can play there and pass the ball really well in the final third."

Looking forward

Meanwhile Aquilani is relishing the prospect of making his Liverpool bow whether it comes on Wednesday or not.

"It was good to play for the reserves because I haven't played for a long time, but to play for the first team is something different again and I am looking forward to that," he said.

"I really want to play, but I need to be patient, I know the time will come for me. I will be happy when I make my debut.

"This is my job, it's what I am here to do, and I am looking forward to it."

Aquilani has been a frustrated spectator during Liverpool's recent run of four straight defeats but the Roman admits that the atmosphere at Anfield during the 2-0 win over arch-rivals Manchester United on Sunday has made him even more desperate to get back playing.

"It was incredible to be at the stadium on Sunday," he added.

"It was one of the best games I have seen so far. I don't normally like to watch a match inside a stadium when I am not playing, but I really enjoyed Sunday.

Incredible atmosphere

"When I was in Rome, although the stadium was bigger, it did not have the same atmosphere as here. Because the fans are closer to the pitch at Anfield, you can feel the atmosphere better.

"It was very important to win against United and hopefully it can give us more confidence."

Aquilani was also quick to thank his fellow players and the medical staff at Anfield for helping keep his spirits up during his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

"I want to thank all the players and the people at the club because they have been very helpful to me since I arrived here," he pointed out.

"Obviously as Andrea Dossena is here and speaks Italian, he has helped me, but I want to take the opportunity to thank every player.

"It has been difficult, but now I want to build up my confidence and I hope to bring out the best of my game here."