Philippe Coutinho Left Out of Liverpool Squad for Besiktas Europa League Clash

Liverpool will be without the creative spark of Philippe Coutinho when they travel to Turkey to face Besiktas during Thursday's Europa League round-of-32 second leg.

James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo confirmed the Brazilian will sit out alongside vice-captain Jordan Henderson:

Pearce's assertion that Coutinho trained on Wednesday indicates the player is being rested ahead of Liverpool's crunch Premier League tie with Manchester City on Sunday.

Coutinho scored a stunning goal to lead Liverpool beyond Southampton last time out. His strike was brilliantly realised by one designer, per Howler:

The Reds are now just two points behind fourth-place Manchester United in the hunt for Champions League places and are unbeaten in the domestic division since December's loss to Louis van Gaal's side.

A successful Europa League run is likely to be second on Brendan Rodgers' wishlist, but with Liverpool leading 1-0 after the first leg, few would bet against the Merseyside club making a splash on the continent.