The England international has been missing through injury since August.
Liverpool are unlikely to risk bringing striker Daniel Sturridge back into the fold after a long injury lay-off for this week’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea, report the Guardian, with the weekend game against Tottenham Hotspur a more realistic match for the England international to feature in.
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Sturridge has been out with a variety of injury complaints since late August, but following a period of rehabilitation in Los Angeles the former Stamford Bridge star has returned to first team training and will soon be available for Rodgers to select.
Tuesday night’s trip to Sturridge’s former stomping ground is likely to come too soon for the forward, however, with Rodgers indicating that there was no point having Sturridge on the bench if his fitness meant that he was unable to play for long enough to make an impact.
Liverpool will also be desperate not to rush their star man back and aggravate his problems, with Sturridge’s long term importance to the team being even greater than the club’s desire to overcome their west London rivals and reach a Wembley final.