Good morning! With Brendan Rodgers still reportedly out of the country on a trip to Italy, assistant manager Colin Pascoe takes the pre-match press conference this week ahead of Liverpool's match against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup this weekend.

Liverpool should be full of confidence heading into this match, after beating the in-form Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League earlier this week. That match saw striker Mario Balotelli finally score his first league goal for the side, something which Pascoe has said should help the Italy international.

Daniel Sturridge was also on the scoresheet the other night in his first start since returning from injury, and he hopes that he can form a formidable partnership up front with Balotelli:

A lot has been made of the fact that this year's FA Cup final falls on Steven Gerrard's birthday, and that with the captain leaving at the end of the season, it would be fitting for Liverpool to win the competition this year. Getting past Crystal Palace will be no easy task though, as the Eagles have been in strong form since appointing Alan Pardew as their new manager at the start of the year.

Pascoe will surely be asked about the manager's whereabouts this morning. According to reports, Rodgers flew out to Italy straight after the full-time whistle in the team's win over Spurs on Tuesday, and he is yet to return to England. Balotelli's goal, Steven Gerrard's injury and Raheem Sterling's imminent contract extension are also likely to be on the agenda.

We'll have live coverage of this match and several other FA Cup fixtures this weekend, plus team news, post-match reaction and loads more, so make sure you're with us on Saturday evening to see is Liverpool can make it through.

Right then, the assistant manager is ready to talk, so let's see what Pascoe has to say...

First up, it's Brendan Rodgers's trip to Italy, but Pascoe isn't giving anything away: "Brendan had to shoot off after the game sharpish as he had a meeting in Europe. It's a club matter and it's none of your business."

On the injury news, Pascoe confirms that Steven Gerrard is injured, while Raheem Sterling is still being monitored, and Kolo Toure will not be back from the Africa Cup of Nations until Monday.

Pascoe is asked about Balotelli following his debut league goal for the club. The assistant manager responds: "Mario is Mario, he comes in every day, works hard. He's one of those guys who when he's out there he wants to work well. Every team is picked for certain occasions. Mario probably does need a run of games, but we've also got Daniel Sturridge to come back in as well."

Palace have been something of a bogey team for Liverpool in recent years, but Pascoe insists: "We put those games behind us, and we will go there looking for the win."

Emre Can is one of the players shortlisted for this month's Premier League players of the month award, and Pascoe tells reporters: "When we monitored him to go in at Liverpool he could play at centre-back, but when he's had the opportunity to play there he's been fantastic. When he came into midfield the other day, he was fantastic again. He's worked hard and waited for his chance and grabbed it with both hands. Midfield is his position, he wants to play there, but will play anywhere."

Pascoe is reminded of last season's defeat to Palace in the league, which all but ended Liverpool's Premier League challenge. He says: "When we lost to Palace it was a real low in the camp. You look for a reaction and we tweaked the system and the players have responded. From that day it was a great reaction and the lads are playing attractive football."

Oh dear! It looks like someone forgot to tell the cleaners at Melwood about the press conference as they burst in while one reporter is mid-question, before quickly shuffling out again!

Back to that press conference, Pascoe says that Simon Mignolet has performed well recently after returning from being dropped: "I know Mario got all the headlines with a goal, but what a fantastic save Simon Mignolet made to keep us in that game. He's always been a fantastic keeper, and he's showing that now."

Pascoe is also complimentary about the team's defending: "The manager has worked hard to stiffen up the defensive part. When you're not scoring goals you have to find a way. You're trying to get stability in the back three and keep them together, and that's what's happened."

Pascoe is asked whether Emre Can could be a potential captain of the future, and the assistant manager thinks that he has potential: "He's young and learning his game, but yeah, in years to come I'm sure he'll progress to be one, he's been fantastic."

On the team to face Palace, Pascoe says: "The manager will pick the strongest side. We don't want to push [Sturridge], he's not far off 90 minutes."

Pascoe expands on Sturridge's fitness, adding: "He didn't want to come off [against Spurs] He's desperate to play, 60-70 minutes was the maximum we could push him, it's a progression with Daniel. We will monitor him, but if he's feeling great we will talk."

That's all from Pascoe this morning, so join us again on Saturday to see whether Liverpool can continue their cup run. Until then, thanks for joining me this morning. Goodbye.