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Sturridge closer for Liverpool but Skrtel may miss Bordeaux

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Image for Sturridge closer for Liverpool but Skrtel may miss Bordeaux
Coutinho will miss the game against Bordeaux tonight

Coutinho will miss the game against Bordeaux tonight

The Reds will take on French side Bordeaux at Anfield this evening in a tie that could put the team within touching distance of qualification for the knockout stages.

Liverpool go into the game in great spirits, after thrashing Manchester City at the Etihad at the weekend, but there are some doubts over key players which may force Klopp’s hand.

During his pre-match press conference yesterday, Klopp indicated that one or two players may miss out, while it’s likely that Lucas will start considering he is banned for the game against Swansea on Sunday.

Speaking to the assembled media (via Liverpoolfc.com), Jurgen said: “The best news at the moment is Daniel is getting closer, closer and closer. He has now trained seven or eight times in a row – the longest period since I’ve been here – and, of course, that will help him. And it will help us because we have another option.

“Christian Benteke is in very good shape, which is very important for us. When I came here he was injured, but now he has had many, many [training] sessions with the team and the Belgian national team.

“We are in a good position at the moment, but football can be like you solve one problem and then the next second you have another one.

“Martin Skrtel is a little bit ill. Mama is in a good way, but not ready for tomorrow, so we might need to have a new idea [in defence] and we will see how we handle this.”

With Skrtel possibly going to miss the game will illness, we may see the return of Kolo Toure to the heart of the defence alongside Dejan Lovren, with Skrtel given a chance to prove his fitness for the game on Sunday.

One thing that is certain however, is that Philippe Coutinho will miss the tie tomorrow. But Klopp had some more positive news about the fitness of Daniel Sturridge.

He continued: “He is closer. He’s had another three or four important sessions since last Saturday – each session is very important.

“My decision [on whether he will play against Bordeaux], you will see tomorrow.

“He is closer and that’s very, very good, but the most important thing in these [coming] weeks is that he can train without problems.

“Everybody knows he has very often had different [injury] problems, so we have to try to bring him into a situation where he is more robust. But if we have to field him in a good moment for a few minutes or more, then we will see in the game.”

Barring injuries to several other players before the match tonight, it’s highly unlikely Sturridge will actually start (with Swansea more likely) but the striker will take his place on the bench with the possibility of getting a small amount of playing time.

What is your predicted lineup and score prediction? Let us know in the comments below.

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I'm a 32 year old Liverpool fan, living in the heart of the City Centre. I've supported the club since the day I was born and have been writing articles for L4L for over 3 years, writing close over 350 articles in that time. My favorite player of the past generation is Sami Hyypia.

I am the current editor for L4L, with my day job being in R&D for the NHS.

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