Aquilani wants to face Arsenal

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has told boss Rafa Benitez that he has no concerns over his fitness as he hopes to keep his first-team place against Arsenal.

The Italy international played 86 minutes of the Reds' defeat to Fiorentina in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in his maiden starting XI appearance.

Aquilani's full debut has been significantly delayed since his £20million summer move from Roma as he has been rehabilitating from an ankle operation.

But the 25-year-old, who has a reputation in Italy for being prone to injury, is ready to remain in Benitez's first XI plans for Sunday's vital Anfield clash with Arsenal.

He said in the Liverpool Daily Post: "I feel good. I'm really happy to have come through my first game.

"My ankle is better, fully healed and there weren't any problems after basically a year without playing it's great to have played so many minutes, because it means I can have more faith that I'm fully fit again.

"There's no fear at all that it might flare up again, I know it's better, so I'm not worried at all about that. I just feel really happy to have played again. It's really important for me to have played, because the more I play, the better I'll get and the fitter I'll be."

He added: "I need to play, play, play because I'm in a new team, and I need games now. My ankle is fine now, I feel good, and now I need to work hard in training for my body. I really hope I can play against Arsenal."

Aquilani is also confident Liverpool can turn around their fortunes this season, despite having been dumped out of the Champions League and sitting off the pace in the Premier League.

He said: "It's not the season I was expecting when I signed for the club, that's true. I was expecting to play in the Champions League, to find ourselves competing for trophies.

"But it is a long season, and the finish of it is a long way away. There is still time for that to change."

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