Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has confirmed he will be without talismanic pair Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for the Reds' trip to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

After a week of intense speculation over the duo's fitness while on international duty, Benitez has ruled that they both need more time to recover, although he has declined to reveal the length of time he expects to be without the pair.

Both Gerrand and Torres were substituted during their respective countries' World Cup qualifiers last weekend, and neither played any part in the midweek round of international matches, although "El Nino" did make the Spanish bench.

"Both Steven and Fernando still have some problems," Benitez confirmed in his pre-match press conference."They will need more time and won't be available this weekend. I think they could be available for next week."

'Rafa' refused to comment on his players' situations within the English and Spanish camps this week, having previously criticised both parties for not allowing his injured stars to return to Liverpool earlier in the week.

"I need to worry about the players I [have] rather than those I don't," he stressed.

The Spanish tactician does have Dirk Kuyt available for the game, but is likely to be without Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva, who are both returning from international trips, while Ryan Babel may get a rare start in attack.