Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful striker Daniel Sturridge will be fit for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa.
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The England international pulled out of the Barclays Premier League clash against Newcastle on Monday after feeling the effects of a hip injury suffered against Blackburn last week.
The 25-year-old will be assessed in the coming days but Rodgers will give him every chance to prove his fitness for Wembley.
He said: “He will hopefully be OK for the weekend. I will know more in the week. He feels reasonably fine so we are hoping by the middle of the week we will have an indication where he is at.”
Michael Oliver will referee the FA Cup semi final between Aston Villa and Liverpool.
— Tony Barrett (@TonyBarretTimes) April 9, 2015
Rodgers, however, was more guarded when asked about the availability of controversial forward Mario Balotelli. The Italian was again absent due to illness and has now not been involved for three successive games.
Rodgers said: “Mario is still ill. He was not quite fit enough (to face Newcastle). He has had on and off sickness issues.”
Rodgers did confirm that defender Mamadou Sakho would be out for “three to four weeks” with the hamstring injury sustained in the FA Cup quarter-final replay win at Ewood Park.
That means the 25-year-old Frenchman could miss Premier League encounters with West Brom, Hull and QPR as well as the Villa tie.
Meanwhile, Christian Benteke insists it is “risky” to consider Aston Villa safe and urged them not to relax ahead of the FA Cup semifinal.
The in-form striker is eyeing a Wembley win against Liverpool when they face the Reds in the last four. But he has told Villa they must secure Premier League survival as well with five games left.
Benteke scored the winner in Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Tottenham which lifted Villa six points above the relegation zone.
It was his eighth goal in eight games under Tim Sherwood but the hitman warned Villa they need more than one more win to survive.
He said: “The more the better, I think it’s risky to say we can take three points and we’re finished. We have to try to win every game.
“Saturday was a massive three points because now we’re six points clear of QPR so it’s very important for us to be far off them.”
The Belgium international missed last summer’s World Cup after rupturing his Achilles a year ago and only returned in October. And, ahead of Sunday’s clash, the 24-year-old admitted playing at Wembley will be the biggest game of his career.
“For the moment, yes,” he said. “It (missing the World Cup) was hard but now it’s in the past, I’m looking forward to playing the semi-final.
“Wembley is something good and special because it’s a semi-final, it’s close to the final and we have to do everything to be there again.”
He is likely to be partnered by Gabriel Agbonlahor up front, with Sherwood preferring to pair the duo together, and Benteke is enjoying playing with Agbonlahor.
He said: “He said to the team we have to play to our strengths, to play with me and Gabby. He helped me to destroy the defenders, with two we’re always better than one. I’m comfortable, it’s a good partnership.”
