Luis Suarez starts for Liverpool in the Capital One Cup clash against rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Uruguayan makes his return from a 10-game suspension incurred in April for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in tonight’s Capital One Cup clash.

Daniel Sturridge joins the 26-year-old in attack with support from Victor Moses, whilst talismanic captain Steven Gerrard gets the start in midfield in tandem with Lucas Leiva, Jordan Henderson, and Jose Enrique in a new-look 3-4-1-2 formation from Brendan Rodgers.

Summer signings Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho form the back line with Martin Skrtel in front of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Smalling, Buttner; Jones, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, Kagawa; Hernandez

Subs: Amos, Fabio, Anderson, Carrick, Zaha, Januzaj, Welbeck

Liverpool: Mignolet; Toure, Sakho, Skrtel, Enrique; Henderson, Lucas, Gerrard; Moses, Suarez, Sturridge

Subs: Jones, Alberto, Aspas, Sterling, Ibe, Kelly, Wisdom

More to follow…

Football betting has been strongly affected by Liverpool’s encouraging start to the season which has threatened to unsettle the more likely candidates to finish in the top-four come May – but with the wheels falling off in recent games, Brendon Rodger’s side are clearly in need of a boost.

That boost may well come in the form of Luis Suarez who, having finished a ten-game suspension which began back in April, is now available to provide the creative spark which has been so sorely lacking since Phillippe Coutinho’s injury against Swansea.

The former Inter Milan midfielder finds himself out of action until the end of October, and it is no coincidence that the Reds have failed to find the back of the net once in the 125 minutes they have toiled away without him on the pitch – meaning they have reaped just one point from their last two fixtures and destroyed their perfect start to the season.

In both the remainder of the fixture following his substitution against Swansea as well as the disappointing home loss to Southampton later in the week, his team-mates struggled to create openings despite new recruits Victor Moses, Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas supposedly providing alternative creative outlets.

Amongst those who know how to bet on football, the talk is that the returning Suarez is expected to play in the hole behind Sturridge, meaning Liverpool might just have found a way to pair two of the most potent strikers in the Premiership.

The Liverpool boss stated his belief that Suarez would be ready for action whenever the call came despite the lengthy lay-off:

“How he has prepared himself over the last number of weeks has been fantastic – everyone knows the depth of his quality and his attitude. Once he gets back on the field again he will show what he has shown since he’s been here.”

The Liverpool boss insists he has no hesitation in restoring the Uruguayan to his side to face Manchester United, but does not know whether his troubles are behind him

Brendan Rodgers admits only time will tell whether Luis Suarez has learned his lessons from a series of high profile controversies.

Suarez is primed to return to action for Liverpool after serving a 10-match ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic during a Premier League clash with Chelsea back in April.

And while Rodgers insists he is not wary of putting the Uruguayan straight back into his team, he concedes there is little way of knowing whether the striker will misbehave again.

“I think that test will come over time,” he told reporters.

“It won’t be a one-off game. I think over time, we will see the lessons learned and that maturity.

“I don’t think he will be targeted any more than he has been before. Luis is that type of player. He will always provoke the tackle or the challenge.

“The work that he does in and around the box will always make defenders be on the back foot. It is part of the game and whatever part of the field you play, you have to put up with that.

“He will just be happy to pull on the shirt for real. It doesn’t matter where that would be, whether it was Old Trafford or another stadium. I think he can’t wait to get out there.”

When asked whether he had any doubts about restoring Suarez to his side, Rodgers replied: “No. I have got no hesitation. There has never been an issue with anything like that.

“There is the history of the clash but it won’t enter my mind. He is a tough character. He is resilient and one of the strongest-willed characters I have ever met in my life.

“I don’t think he will bat an eyelid at that. He is a fighter and his will and desire to succeed is out there for everyone to see.

 “We are just delighted to have him back. I know the players are happy we are bringing someone back like that of that quality.

“When Luis knew he would be available for the fixture, it would have really stoked him up to make sure he was even more ready.

“You could argue that this is a real good game for him to come back to.”