Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has not given up hope of Daniel Sturridge playing some part in the Merseyside derby.
The England striker has been sorely missed by the Reds since sustaining a thigh injury on international duty earlier this month but is inching ever closer to a comeback.
In his absence Rodgers' side have lost to Aston Villa and West Ham, snuck a last-gasp win over Ludogorets in the Champions League and required penalties to see off Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup.
They would dearly love to unleash the 25-year-old against their neighbours at Anfield but although Rodgers was upbeat about his recovery, an appearance this weekend appears to be based on hope as much as expectation.
"We'll be very happy to have him back and we hope that can be this weekend," said the Northern Irishman.
"We've got a number of injuries that we're going to give every chance to.
"He (Sturridge) is a player who's out on the field working. Him and a number of others we'll just assess nearer the time. But if he doesn't make it he won't be far off after that.
"He's someone that responds well to treatment. Obviously it's gone well but there are still a couple of days to go before the game. The most important thing is he's near to fitness.
"He certainly won't be match-fit, he hasn't played for a few weeks, but it'll be great to have him back because he's a wonderful player for us.
"He's a great reference for our team at the top of the field, his pace and movement and quality, which we saw the last time he played against Tottenham."
"He certainly won't be match-fit, he hasn't played for a few weeks, but it'll be great to have him back because he's a wonderful player for us." - Brendan Rodgers
Another of Rodgers' talented young England stars, Raheem Sterling, has been linked this week with Spanish giants Real Madrid.
The 19-year-old forward, whose contract at Anfield runs until 2017, is one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League and has had an impressive start to the season but his manager is not losing sleep over the reported interest.
"It shows that he's playing exceptionally well," said Rodgers.
"I think you could probably link Raheem with every club in the world at the moment. He's a fantastic young talent.
"I've nothing really to add to it. There's obviously lots of speculation every day about players coming and going here at Liverpool.
"He's a wonderful boy who's developing very, very well here. I think him and his representatives and the people close to him know how comfortable he is here and I'm sure at some point in the future, whatever contract we're looking to work with will be sorted, but he's still got three years left and there's no rush from my perspective."
Meanwhile, striker Rickie Lambert (pictured) feels he needs to do more to improve his fitness, having been disappointed with the performance he put in on his first competitive start for the club on Tuesday.
The stage had seemed perfectly set for local lad Lambert - a Reds fan and youth player as a boy - to make the most of the occasion, with him not only coming into the starting XI to face Sky Bet Championship outfit Middlesbrough at Anfield in the Capital One Cup third round, but also being named as captain.
However, the 32-year-old struggled to make an impact in a crazy contest that finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, 2-2 after extra-time and then 14-13 to Liverpool in an epic penalty shoot-out.
He only lasted until the 74th minute, when the former Southampton man was replaced by fellow summer signing Mario Balotelli.
And Lambert said of his experience of being Liverpool skipper: "I wasn't expecting it, and it was a great honour to lead the team. It was a nice surprise.
"But forgetting about that, it was a strange game. I wasn't happy with my own performance, so that overshadowed the honour of being captain a little bit.
"I didn't feel as sharp as I want to feel. That's the main thing I want to look at going back into training.
"I want to get my match fitness up because obviously everyone knows I'm not playing every game so I have to adapt myself now.
"I think I'm going to have to do more so my fitness is up to the same level as everybody else."
Asked if he thought there was a danger of trying too hard, Lambert said: "Obviously that's probably an aspect as well, which I've got to take into consideration and not let affect me.
"But that's just the way it is, and the situation I'm in. I'm more than confident I can start contributing the way I know I can.
"I do work, push myself to the limit, but maybe I am going to have to go to the fitness coach and see if I can do more."
