Preview: Liverpool v Ludogorets

• Liverpool are ending a five-year group stage absence while it is Ludogorets's debut
• Brendan Rodgers says Liverpool will treat Ludogorets "as if they are Real Madrid"
• The visitors' first-choice keeper is suspended while his understudy is out injured
• Ludogorets coach Georgi Dermendzhiev eager to get off the mark in Group B

Possible lineups
Liverpool: Mignolet; Manquillo, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno; Gerrard, Henderson; Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana; Balotelli.
• Out: Emre Can (suspended), Lazar Marković (suspended), Daniel Sturridge (thigh), Glen Johnson (thigh), Jon Flanagan (knee)
• Doubtful: Joe Allen (knee), Martin Škrtel (knee)

Ludogorets: Borjan; Caiçara, A Aleksandrov, Moți, Minev; S Dyakov, Espinho; M Aleksandrov, Marcelinho, Misidjan; Bezjak.
• Out: Vladislav Stoyanov (suspended), Ivan Čvorović (shoulder)

Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool manager
We're very excited as five years is a long time – December 2009 being the last game here at Anfield in the Champions League. In the last couple of years we've been working very hard and in particular last season we had a great season which earned us the right to be in it.

I think success is about qualifying from the group. We'll take one game at a time. Obviously, we are at home for our first game and we aim to perform well and get three points, but I think our overriding objective initially is to come out of the group and qualify. Like all games at this level, it will be  tough for us. They are the top team in Bulgaria. We've obviously had them watched and did a lot of research and analysis once we knew they were in our group.

They play an open, attacking style. The team is 4-3-2-1 with the two full-backs looking to get forward, two controlling players in midfield and a No10 that moves well and wingers that are probably more stretched than what you would see with wingers nowadays. They are a team that want to attack and want to work well. We will respect them like we would if we were playing Real Madrid.

So first we need to be concentrated. But at Anfield it is very much about ourselves really. We need to start being really aggressive with our pressing and have a bit more tempo to our passing – that will ignite the crowd here, which has been brilliant during my time here.

Georgi Dermendzhiev, Ludogorets coach
Anfield is a stadium with a lot of history and Liverpool have won this competition five times. It's an honour to play here at Anfield against Liverpool. After the draw for the group stage I said we would pick up points but I cannot predict in which game and against which opponent. But we will collect some points at some stage.

Milan Borjan was signed on Sunday©UEFA.com

There is a saying in football that a team plays as much as the opposition allows them but, of course, if we need to play defensively we will, but we will also use every chance to attack. We have our own attacking style and we plan to use it whenever we can. Liverpool's defeat by Aston Villa isn't so important. What matters is that Brendan Rodgers rested a couple of players for this Champions League game.

Weekend results
Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa FC (Agbonlahor 9)
PFC Botev Plovdiv 1-2 Ludogorets (Tsvetkov 88pen; Dani Abalo 7, Bezjak 48)

Form guide (all competitions)
Liverpool: LWLW
Ludogorets: WDWDLW

Match facts
• When was the last time Liverpool faced Bulgarian opposition? Find out in our extensive match background.