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Champions League: Brendan Rodgers denies there is unrest within the Liverpool camp

Brendan Rodgers Liverpool Champions League presser
Image: Brendan Rodgers: Sakho injured, and expects tough task in Basel

Brendan Rodgers denies there is unrest within the Liverpool camp after a stuttering start to the season but admits he has warned defender Mamadou Sakho about his behaviour ahead of Wednesday night's UEFA Champions League trip to Basel.

The France defender is expected to be fined after storming out of Anfield ahead of Saturday's Merseyside derby having discovered he was not in the squad, although he subsequently issued an apology.

Sakho has not travelled to Switzerland for Liverpool's first European Cup away fixture in five years as Rodgers revealed the Frenchman would be sidelined for two to three weeks after getting injured in a training session.

After the weekend outburst, Rodgers reminded the defender of his responsibilities and he said: "It is not something we expect from any of our players but we have spoken. He knows fully the situation, he apologised and we move on from it."

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England forward Daniel Sturridge was also left behind in Liverpool, still struggling from the thigh injury he picked up on international duty, but Rodgers admitted he was enjoying the Reds' return to club football's top table.

He said: "We, domestically, had a big job to do in the last couple of years and we'll continue to focus on that. Obviously, our work over the past couple of years has brought us back into the Champions League, which is the tournament for the leading clubs in European football.

"We're glad to be in it, we've got off to a good start in the group stage and, as I said, we'll go into a game tomorrow night which will be a very tough game so the focus for us is very much for us on the next game and certainly as a coach I can never get too carried away but it's nice to dream."

Liverpool saw off Bulgaria champions Ludogorets 2-1 at Anfield thanks to an added-time Steven Gerrard penalty and the Northern Irishman admitted beating the Swiss league winners in Basel would be equally difficult.

He added: "It's a football club which I believe has won, what, eight out of last 11 titles here so they're very much a team which is the force of Swiss football.

"You look at the young players that have come through the systems here in Switzerland and they're very much technically gifted and they've done well over a number of years at youth level so it's a country that produces very, very good players.

"This is a club, they're used to winning. So in their domestic league they're a big team, they play like a big team, they're used to winning games so when they come into this tournament they have that confidence and freedom to come and play."

Watch Basel v Liverpool on Sky Sports 5HD from 19.00 on Wednesday

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