The England striker has not featured for his club since the 3-0 win over Tottenham at the end of August after suffering an injury to his thigh while on international duty.

Sturridge missed the start of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League campaign and two defeats in the Premier League but Rodgers says there is a chance he could be back for the 232nd derby, which takes place at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime.

Even if Sturridge misses out, Rodgers is sure he will be back in his first-team plans soon, with a trip to Basel coming up in midweek as the Reds' busy spell continues.

Rodgers said: "We've got a number of injuries that we're just going to give every chance to. Obviously the game is 48 hours away.

"[Sturridge] is a player who is out on the field working. Daniel and a number of others we'll assess nearer the time. If he doesn't make it, then he won't be far off after that.

"He is someone that responds well to treatment and it's gone well - he's out on the field. There's still a couple of days to go yet before the game. The most important thing is that he is nearer to fitness.

"He certainly won't be match fit - he hasn't played for a few weeks. But it would 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 that we saw the last time he played for us, against Tottenham. He was exceptional.

"We'll be very happy to have him back and we hope that can be this weekend. But we'll assess over the next couple of days."