Crunch Time for Crouch and Co

Rafael Benítez has told Liverpool's fringe players they are fighting for their Anfield futures and a possible Champions League final place when they attempt to guarantee fourth place at Birmingham City today.

The Liverpool manager will take no risks before next Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at Chelsea and, with only one point required from three games to secure fourth place in the Premier League, is expected to rest the likes of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard at St Andrew's.

John Arne Riise may be given an immediate opportunity to recover from his calamitous own-goal at Anfield on Tuesday as Benítez looks to the Norwegian to cover for the three-week absence of the injured Fabio Aurelio. The game will also provide Riise, and the likes of Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant, with an opportunity to convince the Spanish manager they have a long-term future at Liverpool.

Benítez said: "There are some players who know they need to show quality and they need to show character if they want to stay at a top club like Liverpool. That means the last few games are a challenge for them and they need to take what opportunities come their way. So whoever plays against Birmingham or Manchester City they have to play well. They may even have a chance to play in the final."

The Liverpool manager has courted criticism from managers of relegation-haunted clubs by resting key players before Champions League fixtures but, having drawn at Arsenal and beaten Fulham with makeshift teams recently, the improved strength of his squad has been made apparent.

Liverpool's power struggle between the club's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett will be one focus of a new inquiry into football by MPs. The all-party parliamentary football group is to launch an inquiry into English football and its governance and the Liverpool crisis is one of the areas it will target. The MPs plan to produce a report in the autumn.