Real Madrid vs Liverpool: The Independent readers believe Steven Gerrard hasn't been good enough to start against Los Blancos

41 per cent of readers believe Gerrard doesn't merit a place in the team

Brendan Rodgers, manager of Liverpool speaks with his captain Steven Gerrard as Steve Bruce manager of Hull City looks on (GETTY IMAGES)

Brendan Rodgers is likely to drop captain Steven Gerrard for the match against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

But while the Liverpool manager wants to do so in order to rest the 34-year-old against Chelsea on Saturday, it would appear that readers of The Independent believe he should be dropped for another reason - because he hasn't been playing well enough.

In a poll that ran this afternoon, we asked: 'Should Steven Gerrard start for Liverpool against Real Madrid?' with four possible answers;

Yes - Of course the captain should start

Yes - His performances warrant a start

No - He needs a rest

No - He hasn't been good enough to earn a place

Of the 108 people who voted, 65 per cent of those (68) believed the long-time skipper should not be starting in the game against Real Madrid.

However, the most surprising aspect of the vote was that the majority of people, 41 per cent, believed that Gerrard should not start because his performances have not deserved it, while just 24 per cent of those voting NO agreed that he needed a rest.

Only nine of the 108 people thought that Gerrard's performances this season merited a start against Carlo Ancelotti's men, while 31 thought Gerrard should be an automatic selection against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co because he is the captain.

We await Brendan Rodgers' team selection with baited breath...