Benitez said: "Emiliano has been really good for us and has been doing well and I know people are saying we are losing something with him going away.

"But we have a lot of confidence in Fabio and Andrea and both players can now compete for the position."

Benitez does have a worry over right-back Alvaro Arbeloa who is expected to again miss out with a hamstring problem.

The Liverpool boss said: "Arbeloa is improving but I think he will need another week. Hopefully next week he can train normally again."

Arbeloa’s continued absence means Jamie Carragher is likely to continue at right-back, with Benitez having the choice of Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Sami Hyypia in central defence.

Liverpool could even use all three at the Britannia Stadium to combat Stoke’s physical approach.

Striker Robbie Keane may only feature on the bench, but Kuyt’s return is almost certain as Liverpool look to make amends for their goalless draw against Stoke at Anfield back in September.

Kuyt says: "The important thing for us this season is that we have had a better start than in previous seasons.

"We’ve had some new players in the squad who have made us better but the other players have all been together for a few years now and because of that we are only going to get better and better."

Speaking to liverpoolfc.tv, Kuyt underlined how the players want to erase the memory of the dropped points against Stoke earlier in the season.

He added: "That was a really frustrating afternoon for us. Sometimes you cannot explain football. We had so many chances to kill the game but just could not do it.

"I do not think their crowd will let them be as defensive this weekend as they were at Anfield and so maybe there will be more space for us to play in.

"They have done well at home though so we know it will be a difficult game. They are a strong team who can cause problems from long throws, but we are Liverpool and if we focus 100 per cent on the game then we should win."