Gerrard will play against Preston - Benitez

Steven Gerrard will play for Liverpool in today's FA Cup third-round game at Preston North End, manager Rafa Benitez said yesterday.

Gerrard spent a night in police cells earlier this week and was charged with assault following an incident in a nightclub.

Benitez, who has often rested some of his big names for domestic cup matches, said the England midfielder would feature in the game for the Premier League leaders against the Championship side.

"He was okay, he was training normally," Benitez told Sky Sports News.

"The best thing for us is to focus on football, he's training really well and he will play tomorrow.

"He's a very, very good professional and will be thinking about football and hopefully everybody will be talking only about the game."

Looking ahead to the match, Benitez said: "We will pick a strong team. We want to keep up the momentum and we want to win."