Carragher winning fitness battle

Jamie Carragher is confident he will win his battle to be fit for Liverpool's trip to Hull City on Sunday - and chalk up another milestone in the process.

The Reds' vice-captain was forced off during Sunday's 2-0 defeat against Chelsea after turning his right ankle shortly before Frank Lampard scored the second goal and he looked in some discomfort.

He subsequently took part in the squad's lap of thanks at the final whistle wearing a pair of flip-flops to ease the pressure on the joint and was set to be assessed by the club's medical staff at Melwood today.

However, the injury is understood not to be serious and Carragher will - in all likelihood - take his place at the heart of the Reds' defence at the KC Stadium.

Carragher's appearance on Sunday was his 629th for the Reds and it took him clear of Bruce Grobbelaar into seventh place in the all-time list behind record holder Ian Callaghan.

The 32-year-old has missed just nine of Liverpool's last 227 Premier League games and another start against Hull will enable him to beat Alan Hansen's total of 434 league appearances - only seven men have bettered that total.

Having endured a shaky start to the season, Carragher has been one of the few players who have got close to their best form this year and it speaks volumes for his fitness, commitment and durability that Sunday was his 52nd appearance of the campaign.

"My target at the start of every season is to play in 50 games so I'm glad that I have achieved that again," said Carragher.

"You have to have a bit of luck with injuries to make sure that happens and I have been fortunate throughout my career not to suffer with little niggles.

"At a top club like Liverpool, there are always players who want to take your place, so to play 50 games (a season) here is something that I am proud of."

If Carragher is optimistic about his chances of featuring at Hull, Liverpool are also hopeful the same will be true for Maxi Rodriguez.

The Argentinean midfielder damaged his adductor in the first of the Chelsea game and he admitted to being in some discomfort when he left Anfield on Sunday night.

With five days to work on the problem, though, Rodriguez has sufficient time to recover and boss Rafa Benitez does not believe the damage to be serious.

One man who definitely will not be involved at Hull is Fabio Aurelio; the Brazilian defender has not featured since being withdrawn with a thigh problem in the 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers on February 28.

It had been hoped he would be fit enough to figure in some of Liverpool's final games but Aurelio has confirmed he will not be ready after all.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.