Liverpool Pre-Chelsea Team News: Rodgers Offers Sturridge & Gerrard Update

Liverpool will look to bounce back from their mid-week disappointment in Europe when they host Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime.

Ahead of the game, Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference and gave Liverpoolfc.com an update on the fitness of star striker Daniel Sturridge.

The 25-year-old has missed the last two months with an initial thigh injury that was suffered while away with England in early September before his return was hampered by a calf problem last month.

There was speculation that Sturridge could be set for a dramatic comeback against Real Madrid on Tuesday night after he travelled with the squad to Spain, but it was later revealed that Rodgers had taken ALL of his injured players to keep them involved in team affairs while they were on the sidelines.

The Reds boss has now delivered further bad news to the Liverpool fans after confirming that while Sturridge is back on the training pitch, he’s highly unlikely to play any part against his former side this weekend.

Rodgers told the clubs website:

“He’s out on the field today with the rehab team, he was moving very well, but he’s probably a little bit of time away [from returning].”

This news will come as a huge blow as Liverpool have sorely missed Sturridge over the past two months with Mario Balotelli scoring just twice since his summer move from AC Milan, while Rickie Lambert is still to get off the mark following his move from Southampton.

Eyebrows were raised when Rodgers left several of his first team players out of Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid with Steven Gerrard one of the key men to be dropped to the bench for the clash at the Bernabeu.

Many assumed the midfielder had been rested ahead of Saturday’s game with Chelsea but Rodgers has claimed today that his skipper was suffering from a minor hamstring injury and had a scan on Monday before they travelled to Spain.

He’s quoted by Liverpool Echo reporter James Pearce as saying:

“Steven Gerrard had a scan on his hamstring on the Monday before we travelled out.”

The Northern Irishman gave no indication if Gerrard was now 100% fit or if he would be back in his starting eleven on Saturday, but the fact the midfielder came off the bench in the second half against Real suggests his hamstring problem can’t have been too serious and he’s available to face Chelsea this weekend.