Liverpool's woes in the striking department just keeps getting worse. Already extremely short in the striking department, the news of Fabio Borini's injury will come as another huge blow to a side that are looking to get back in the top four of the English Premier League.

Brendan Rodgers' side will try to pick up just their second win of the entire season, when they host strugglers Reading, who are yet to win a single game this season, at Anfield.

"The reality is it has happened so we have to deal with it," Rodgers said of his diminishing striking options. "I'm not going to cry over it.

"It's not ideal, but that's the card we've been dealt. It leaves us a bit short, there's no getting away from that, but it's what we've got so we'll just crack on with what we've got and look to get positive performances and results.

"There is nothing we can do. I've got a number of talented players here and if the worst comes to the worst, I'll need to shuffle the team around."

"It's ironic," Rodgers added on Borini's injury. "This is the third year in a row he's been injured in October and for three months.

"Last season when he was in Roma, he picked up a hamstring injury that kept him out for three months and the season before he picked up a shoulder injury in October and was out for three months. Maybe next October, we might just give him a holiday!

"It's obviously disappointing. He's a young player we've got faith in to progress over the next number of years."

Youngsters, however, will be the key to Liverpool's success in the next couple of months, with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Suso getting an extended run out. Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin have settled well at Anfield and Rodgers will want Liverpool's inspirational captain Steven Gerrard to drive them on, while hoping for Suarez to find the back of the net with increasing frequency.

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina is a bit of an injury doubt, having picked up an hamstring problem on international duty with Spain. "We'll wait another 24 hours to see how Pepe is," Rodgers said. "It's nothing overly serious -- he felt just a slight twinge in his hamstring at half-time in the game.

"We had the checks on him and he had a scan on Thursday morning. We just need to weigh up the risk in the next 24-48 hours.

"It's good for us that if he can't play, we've got Brad Jones, who has made fantastic improvement since the beginning of the season and shows up every day of his life very well here.

"So if Pepe can't play, we've got an able understudy who can come in and do very well, I'm sure."

Rodgers, who has managed Reading having previously played for them for several years, will probably have no better opportunity than against the Royals, struggling to find their feet on return to the Premier League, to start a run of victories. Reading have taken just three points from seven games, although Liverpool are not too far ahead, having picked up a mere six from the same number of games.

"They're a fantastic club and I'll always be grateful for Reading," Rodgers said. "They played a massive part in my life. I moved there when I was 16 years of age, my kids were born there and I lived in the town for nearly 20 years.

"It had probably been my only bad experience in football since becoming a coach and a manager. But I don't really see it as a bad experience -- it was a great learning experience for me. I learnt many things in that six months that allowed me to go on and hopefully carve out a career for many years in the game.

"(Reading manager) Brian (McDermott) came in and done exceptionally well. He's got them promoted and they were outstanding particularly in the second half of last season to go on and win the league.

McDermott will try to inspire his players, saying a win can take them level on points with Liverpool. "Anywhere we go, we're confident that we can put on a performance," McDermott said. "That's what we're looking to do on Saturday - we'll go there and compete to the top of our game.

"We haven't played for a while so we're really looking forward to a run of games and getting our season going.

"We'll prepare as we always do -- on the front foot. We know that they've got some terrific players -- they've got their threats but so have we."

Expected lineups: Liverpool: Reina, Wisdom, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Sahin, Allen, Gerrard, Sterling, Suso, Suarez.

Reading: McCarthy, Shorey, Mariappa, Gorkss, Cummings, McAnuff, Caracan, Tabb, Kebe, Hunt, Pogrebnyak.

Prediction: 1-0 to Liverpool