Rafael Benitez is facing the very real prospect of trying to save Liverpool's European dream without Steven Gerrard.

The Liverpool boss is without his skipper at Fulham in the Premier League, and is seemingly clutching at straws that Gerrard will be available for Wednesday's Champions League trip to Lyon.

Liverpool have lost back-to-back Group E matches to Fiorentina and the French club, and a victory in the Stade Gerland is now the only result that will realistically keep the Reds in with a chance of reaching the last 16.

With Fiorentina at home to Hungarian club Debrecen on Wednesday, having already won in Budapest convincingly against the group's bottom club, Liverpool know they are up against it if they want to snatch one of the two qualifying places.

Lose to Lyon and the French side will have 12 points to Liverpool's three. If Fiorentina win their match in Florence, they will have nine points.

And that will mean Liverpool are all but doomed with just two games left, with the top two sides being able to engineer a result when they meet in Florence on November 24 that will eliminate the Anfield club.

It is a shattering prospect for Benitez, and would cost Liverpool £20million of UEFA prize money.

Benitez said: "We must win in Lyon. No matter what happens elsewhere, anything but a victory will leave us facing a really bad situation."

Gerrard is battling to overcome a groin injury, and is facing surgery if he fails to make the Lyon match.

Benitez added: "I do not know yet whether Steven will play in Lyon, we must work with him. But it is true there is a problem.

"We do have a problem if he is not fit for Lyon, it is a crucial time. In three days we will maybe have a better idea.

"He is doing well, and maybe he could be available. But Glen Johnson will be out for five days with a calf tear, so he is a problem too."

He added: "We know we have to win in Lyon, we do not know what will happen in the other group game with Fiorentina at home to Debrecen, but the Italian club have already won in Hungary, so they must be favourites to win in Florence.

"If they do then we know we just have to win. But we really know that anyway, we already know we have to win to stay in contention.

"We expect Fiorentina to win their match, but football can produce surprises. We can only look after ourselves and try to win our match."

Without Gerrard, the spotlight will fall elsewhere for the inspiration to keep Liverpool in the European hunt.

And Benitez sees Argentina captain Javier Mascherano as the perfect answer, despite claims of late that the midfielder is not happy and not at his best.

Benitez said: "Javier played his best game of the season when we won against Manchester United last weekend, I am happy with his form now.

"He was worried about whether Argentina would qualify for the World Cup finals, and sometimes you cannot stop players worrying about their countries.

"But they have reached the finals now and he is more relaxed and playing up to his best levels again.

"What happened in the summer with Barcelona is in the past now and not bothering him. We all knew about that interest, but it is not a consideration now.

"He is now doing really well and back to the very best level he was before."

Liverpool's form against French clubs, having won their last four matches on French soil in Europe, is good. A fifth is now critical.