Liverpool: Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho to miss Besiktas trip as Reds look to youth

Liverpool will not be able to call upon the services of influential midfielder Philippe Coutinho and vice-captain Jordan Henderson for the Europa League last 32 second-leg clash against Besiktas on 26 February, with manager Brendan Rodgers set to include several young players in his travelling party for the match.

The Reds head to the Ataturk Stadium holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at Anfield due to a controversial penalty scored by the much-maligned Mario Balotelli. The striker attracted criticism from teammate Steven Gerrard in the aftermath of the slender victory after a petty disagreement with Henderson and fellow striker Daniel Sturridge over who should take the decisive spot kick.

Henderson provides strong leadership in the absence of Gerrard, yet reports from the Liverpool Echo claim neither he nor Coutinho have accompanied their teammates to Istanbul.

An ankle problem is listed as the reason for the England international's absence, although it has not yet been made clear why Coutinho is not set to feature just days after helping Liverpool to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Southampton with a quite exquisite first-half goal.

Having collected possession from Lazar Markovic 25 yards out with just three minutes on the clock, the nimble Brazilian stunned St Mary's into silence with a rasping effort that flew past goalkeeper Fraser Forster and in off the underside of the crossbar to set his side on the way to another positive result that could have huge ramifications in the race for Champions League qualification.

That win on the south coast was Liverpool's fourth in succession and Besiktas will certainly have noted that Rodgers' defence has been particularly stingy of late, keeping five consecutive away clean sheets in the league for the first time since 1985.

Gerrard, who is set to leave Liverpool in the summer and follow in David Beckham's footsteps by joining the Los Angeles Galaxy, remains sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained during the 3-2 win over Tottenham earlier in February, while Lucas Leiva will also play no part in Turkey due to a thigh issue.

Defender Mahmadou Sakho and Glen Johnson are expected to miss out through illness and a hip injury respectively and Rodgers is believed to have used the trip as a chance to boost the experiences of a number of Liverpool's younger players.

Striker Jerome Sinclair, who made history as the club's youngest ever first-team player when he appeared as a late substitute in a League Cup fixture against West Brom in 2012, is set to fly out to be a part of the squad alongside Ryan Fulton, Cameron Brannagan, Jordan Lussey and Jordan Williams.