Brendan: Suarez is ready for return

The Uruguayan has now fully served his 10-match suspension and is eligible to play at Old Trafford, with the manager intending to make a decision in the coming days on whether the No.7 starts.

"He certainly comes back into the squad and we're delighted to have him," Rodgers said at his pre-match press conference today.

"It has been a really difficult time for him in terms of not playing games. But I've got to say, how he has prepared himself over the last number of weeks has been fantastic, with his attitude in training and everything.

"He'll travel with us and we'll reflect in the next 24 hours whether he starts or not. Having someone of that quality back into your squad gives everyone a lift.

"Everyone knows the depth of his qualities, and his attitude - he's non-stop in his commitment and I'm sure once he gets back onto the field again he'll show what he has shown since he's been here, which has been top quality."

The 26-year-old has been participating in a number of behind-closed-doors fixtures during his time on the sidelines, and the boss believes Suarez is fully prepared for a return to competitive action.

"We've been preparing him for this moment for a number of weeks now," he added.

"You never get the full match fitness until you're playing and you have the crowd and everything, but one of the things that has astounded me in the time I've been here has been his physicality.

"This is a guy that last season travelled all around the world internationally, played games and came back - I assessed him and thought that maybe he might have been a bit tired; you put him into the next game and he scored a hat-trick away at Wigan.

"He's a robust character and his biggest quality is his desire and commitment. He comes back into the reckoning now and what he will do is give it 100 per cent and I'm sure after a few games he'll get right back up to speed again.

"From what I've seen in training and all the extra work he has put in, and all the game time he has been able to collate over the last number of weeks, he has had good preparation to come back.

"That's the type and the beauty of him. He played a game behind closed doors; we had a reserve game the night before, so a lot of the older reserve players were playing in that game.

"We had a behind-closed-doors game against Burnley with a lot of our younger players. I know a lot of players who probably would have decided just to come in and train that morning.

"But he loves the game, he lives for the game and he put everything into that. It's what we expect because that's the type of character he is."

Watch the video here »

The Reds travel to face their rivals little over three weeks after recording a 1-0 victory over United at Anfield in the Barclays Premier League, with Daniel Sturridge the match-winner on the day.

That triumph was Rodgers' first over the Red Devils since he took the managerial reins at Liverpool - and the 40-year-old explained why this latest meeting will be one for all to look forward to.

He said: "It's a game that no matter what competition it's in, Liverpool v Manchester United is always a massive game.

"It's certainly one that we're going there looking to get through into the next round. After the disappointment of the weekend, it's great to get back on the field again.

"They're always close games, always tight games. I'm really looking forward to going there. We'll probably have over 7,000 supporters there, which will be brilliant.

"The atmosphere that we had at the game at Anfield was incredible - the support really rallied us. I'm sure it will be likewise up there.

"No matter what stage or what competition, it's always a massive game. And it's one that we're relishing and looking forward to."

[OTPA_WIDGET_CONTENT]

The reigning champions suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City on Sunday, although the Liverpool boss attributed the defeat to the brilliance of their opponents.

"It was more about Manchester City yesterday, it was probably the level of performance that everyone is expecting from them," Rodgers continued.

"The squad that they have accumulated and the quality that they have - that squad is right up there with the best in European football, never mind in this country.

"They performed at a really top level. It was more about them, they were outstanding yesterday."

The Reds enter the fixture having experienced a loss themselves, however, after Southampton ended Rodgers' side's unbeaten opening to the 2013-14 campaign with a 1-0 win at Anfield.

The boss concluded: "There's no doubt after Southampton at the weekend, we haven't felt like that for a long time. So when we did lose the game, and a league game, it was hard to swallow.

"But it's my job to take a step back and look at it. We've got 10 points and we've made an excellent start. We wanted to win, especially our home games at Anfield.

"But we didn't perform and it's as simple as that; I gave credit to Southampton because they played well. For us, we were nowhere near our level.

"That's going to be the season - sometimes it's going to be up and down. All we can ever do is work hard and keep believing.

"What I see in the players and the ambience around the club here, obviously we're disappointed after the result, but everyone is smiling again.

"We're back focused, working hard and knowing this is a season where we'll have those ups and downs. We've just got to make sure, like we have done, when we have a disappointment we bounce back and go again."