Daniel Sturridge: (Thigh) Unlikely to Play Wednesday

Sturridge (thigh) faces a late fitness test ahead of Liverpool's Champions League match against FC Basel on Wednesday. "He wasn't really close for (Saturday's Premier League match against Everton)," manager Brendan Rodgers said Monday. "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 Wednesday). He wasn't far away for Everton, but he certainly wasn't fit enough to be on the bench."

Analysis:

It sounds a bit weird that Rodgers considered Sturridge not far away from playing against Everton but that he also wasn't fit enough to even be on the bench. In all likelihood he'll be held out for Wednesday's match with a potential return Saturday against West Brom, though he may be forced to come off the bench.