Gerrard appeared to be limping for a while during the first half after overstretching for the ball - and he was substituted six minutes from the end of the goalless draw at Aston Villa.

He headed to the dressing rooms before the final whistle but insisted that he will be ready for a game which is crucial to England's hopes of reaching the 2008 finals.

Before boarding the Liverpool coach, Gerrard said: "I will be fine - it's only a kick, don't worry."

Reds boss Rafael Benitez also confirmed that Gerrard has suffered no serious setbacks.

The Spaniard said: "Steven had a kick on the shin but it is nothing serious. He is fine. He has no problem."

Benitez was happy to return to Anfield with a point after an instantly forgettable game in which the only worthwhile save came in injury-time from Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, who denied Robbie Fowler.

He continued: "When you are coming to somewhere thinking about winning and you only get one point, then you must be disappointed.

"But it wasn't a good game and we didn't create any chances.

"In the final third, we had problems. They were pressuring well in the middle and were trying to play on the counter-attack.

"It was not a good game. I must be happy with a point because we didn't create a lot of chances.

"The difference sometimes when you don't play well and still pick up a win can be one chance.

"Maybe the one in the last minute from Fowler could have been the difference. Those are the things that are the difference at the end of the season."

Benitez insisted his side had no problem raising their game for the Barclays Premiership after the euphoria of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League via their win over Barcelona 11 days ago.

He said: "I don't think that is the case because beforehand we were talking about making sure we finish in the top four.

"We needed a win but we got a point and so are a little bit closer to achieving that objective."

Villa manager Martin O'Neill was disappointed with his team's performance despite a share of the spoils being a welcome relief after winning only two of their previous 17 league games.

Villa did not manage a shot in anger throughout the entire 90 minutes and there were some signs of frustration from their fans on the Holte End.

O'Neill said: "We did not play well and it turned out to be more of a chess game than a highly entertaining match.

"We were the home side and the onus was on us to attack better than we did. We were lacking a bit of confidence.

"The ironic thing is we have played much better and got nothing from games. But it is our job to do better than that at home in terms of our performance."

Villa had first-half claims for a penalty when out-of-form midfielder Stiliyan Petrov looked to have been upended by Steve Finnan.

Benitez claimed his players felt Petrov had taken a dive - but O'Neill said: "I've seen it back and it definitely looked a penalty to me."

Neither keeper had to make a serious save until the dying seconds when Sorensen kept out a near-post header from substitute Fowler following a cross by Jermaine Pennant.