Liverpool are unsure as to whether striker Daniel Sturridge will return for Wednesday’s Champions League clash away to Basel.
Sturridge has not played in September following a thigh injury picked up during England training, missing five Liverpool games.
Having sat out of Saturday’s Merseyside derby draw against Everton, fans will be hoping the forward is available for the Reds’ second Champions League group stage game in Switzerland this mid-week.
But Brendan Rodgers is remaining cautious in his approach to Sturridge’s return, with another vital Premier League game at home to West Brom coming up on Saturday.
“He wasn’t really close for this game,” Rodgers is quoted on the club’s official website as saying.
“We needed to see if he could train on the Friday, but I got the message on the Thursday night that he would struggle, so he wasn’t really close to playing.
“I’ll see how he is [for Basel]. He wasn’t far away for Everton, but he certainly wasn’t fit enough to be on the bench.”
Reports at the weekend suggested Rodgers “sacrificed his Sunday” to train with Sturridge alone, leaving a race against time for the former Chelsea striker to be back in full training with teammates in time for Wednesday night’s match.
Liverpool have lacked ammunition up front in recent games, scoring just twice in three league games this month.
How much have Liverpool missed Sturridge? Let us know your expectations for the team upon the 25-year-old’s return from injury in the comments section below.
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