LONDON (Reuters) - Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has criticised the Premier League fixture planners for the amount of early kick-offs his team have.

Liverpool travel to Sunderland for a lunch-time start on Saturday and the Spaniard feels his side are being handicapped in their title challenge.

"On Saturday we will go to play another away game with an early kick-off after internationals in midweek," Benitez told the club's web-site (www.liverpoolfc.tv).

"We have four of these games before December. Last year we had 10 or 12 of them. We had to play eight away games after Champions League matches.

"This season we have early kick-offs at places like Newcastle and Portsmouth — but then if we don't win people will wonder why our away form is not consistent."

Captain Steven Gerrard is a major doubt for Liverpool with a broken toe.