Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez expects FA Cup rivals Preston to play at "150%" when he sends Steven Gerrard back into action on Saqturday night at Deepdale in a third-round tie.
Gerrard will play in the match despite having been charged with assault and affray after an alleged incident at a nightclub earlier this week.
With an appearance at North Sefton Magistrates' Court set for the end of the month, Benitez could have kept the England star out of the spotlight this weekend.
But Gerrard will play in the tie, with Fernando Torres, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa all returning from long-term injuries.
Benitez was once accused of under-valuing the FA Cup when he sent out a weakened side that was beaten at Burnley three years ago.
Now Benitez insists that he has squad depth that will enable him to rest some players in a competition he admits he would like to do well in.
He says: "It is a great competition, and there are always shocks when smaller sides produce performances better than expected.
"You can watch teams on DVD and they play at 100%, and then when they perform in the match it is 150% effort. And facing Liverpool always sees teams highly motivated.
"We are expecting a very tough game against a team who are doing very well in the Championship. And we could also be facing one of our former players, Neil Mellor.
"He is a fine young player who will always score lots of goals. He scored fantastic goals for us against Arsenal and Olympiacos a few years back, and we know his quality.
"I hope he continues to score lots of goals in his league matches, but I hope none now in the FA Cup."
Benitez says of the decision to include Gerrard: "In terms of football, everything has been normal for Steven. He has received the support of everyone, the players, myself, the club and he has trained well and is focused on football.
"I do not believe he will be distracted. He wants to play football, and concentrate just on that. He will be thinking about playing well, scoring goals and making sure the club progresses to the next round.
"He will play, and I have confidence he will be ready. It was a bad situation, but because we know most of the details, maybe not all, but we have to support him because we know these things can happen to footballers now because they are very famous.
"If we want to help him, the best thing is to train normally and organise things in the same way. And to give him the opportunity to play football."
He added: "He will get that chance at Preston, hopefully by scoring goals he will know how pleased our fans will be. It is the only way to handle things."
Benitez has done his best this week to support his captain and to keep him focused on his job.
He said: "The best thing for him and for us is to focus on football. He will play because for me his attitude shows that he is ready.
"We are not worried about the situation (dragging on). He is a very good professional and he will be just thinking about football and hopefully score some goals."
