Cissé ruled out for season

Striking problems
The 23-year-old French international who only moved to England from AJ Auxerre in the summer, was taken to hospital after several minutes of treatment on the pitch following a first-half fall. Liverpool face a striker shortage for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League trip to RC Deportivo La Coruña, with Florent Sinama-Pongolle also on the casualty list after suffering an ankle injury in midweek.

Surgery needed
Liverpool confirmed a fracture of the tibia and fracture of the fibula in Cissé's left leg. The club added: "Djibril will undergo surgery on Sunday morning to insert a pin in the tibia. Unfortunately he is unlikely to play again this season and everybody at the club wishes him the speediest of recoveries."

Baroš boost
Blackburn's Ewood Park is not a happy destination for Liverpool as Milan Baroš and Jamie Carragher both suffered broken legs in the same fixture last season. Baroš fared better this time around, however, scoring a second-half equaliser to give Rafael Benítez's side a 2-2 draw. The Czech international should spearhead the Liverpool attack against Deportivo, with the club's only other fit forward being the inexperienced Neil Mellor.

International concern
Cissé's injury will come as a further setback to his international chances after he missed UEFA EURO 2004™ through suspension. He has been involved in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup but has yet to establish himself as a regular. France's next match is a 17 November friendly against Poland at Stade de France.