Gerrard injury rules out Spartak mission

Steven Gerrard has been ruled out of Liverpool's Champions' League Group B match against Spartak Moscow tomorrow as he is still suffering from the hip injury sustained during England's 2-2 draw with Macedonia last week.

Gerrard's absence is a major blow for the Liverpool manager, Gérard Houllier, but Emile Heskey, who missed the Macedonia game and the Reds' win over Leeds United on Saturday with a groin strain, was passed fit to travel along with Vladimir Smicer, who has recovered from a broken toe. Liverpool must win in Moscow to sustain realistic hopes of advancing to the next stage of the tournament.

Arsenal have emphasised that their goalkeeper David Seaman has not made any public statements about his future. Seaman was criticised for a mistake while on England duty which led to Macedonia's first goal in last week's draw. The goalkeeper was reported in a Sunday newspaper as saying that he has no intention of quitting the international scene, but Arsenal have stressed that any such quotes are not recent.

"Quotes attributed to David Seaman are from post World Cup interviews and are somewhat misleading," a club statement read. "David has not publicly stated his intentions for the future following the match versus Macedonia."

Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss Manchester United's Champions' League tie against Olympiakos on Wednesday as the striker's hamstring problem continues to cause concern.