Liverpool gaffer Rafael Benitez is ready to bring the vociferous Javier Mascherano back into the fold for the Reds’ Champions League first-leg against Arsenal on Wednesday.

The Argentine footballer was sent off in the match against Manchester United and received a one-match ban. When he faces the FA in his hearing on Friday, it’s expected that he’ll be banned once more, from this weekend’s Premier League fixture against the Gunners.

If Mascherano can keep his mouth shut, he will continue to be an asset for Liverpool, but his poor decision making with regard to running his mouth at officials (to say nothing of the slap for which he was carded against Middlesbrough) makes him a potential liability. At 23, the midfielder is still young, but Benitez needs to rein in the petulance for the sake of his side.