Mario Balotelli absent for Liverpool's trip to Ludogorets Razgrad

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has been ruled out of Wednesday's trip to Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League through injury.

The Italian has failed to recover from the groin problem that kept him out of Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace.

Balotelli's agent recently insisted that the 24-year-old would not be returning to Italy during the upcoming transfer window.

Meanwhile, midfielder Jordan Henderson has travelled with the rest of the squad to Bulgaria after shaking off an illness.

The Merseysiders need to avoid defeat tomorrow night if they want to keep alive their chances of reaching the last 16.

Brendan Rodgers's side are currently in third place in the Group B table thanks to one win and three defeats from their opening four games.