Brendan Rodgers confirms the January signing will return from injury on Sunday, while fellow new-boy Philippe Coutinho could make his first start for the Anfield club

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Daniel Sturridge is set to return from injury against Swansea City on Sunday.
The England international missed Monday’s defeat against West Brom due to a hip injury and was cup-tied for Thursday’s Europa League trip to Zenit.

Fellow January signing Philippe Coutinho, who made his Reds debut from the bench in the 2-0 loss at Anfield on Monday, could be in line to make his first start for the visit of Michael Laudrup’s side.

Rodgers told reporters: “Daniel has come in and made a terrific impact. He’s been great, and he’ll be fit for the weekend.”

Meanwhile, having claimed before the defeat to West Brom that Liverpool could still qualify for the Champions League this season, Rodgers has lowered his expectations after dropping to ninth in the table and 12 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

He observed: “Being a realist, it’s going to be very difficult. It’s going to be a huge task. We can still do it but it will be difficult.

“It might not be this year that we can make that jump but I can’t ask any more of the players.”

The Anfield skipper believes the Reds can turn their Europa League tie on its head after going 2-0 down in St Petersburg in the first leg on Thursday evening

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes his side can turn their Europa League tie against Zenit St Petersburg around after losing the first leg of the last-32 clash 2-0 on Thursday.

The Reds hopes of making the last 16 of the competition were dealt a major blow when Brazilian forward Hulk and Sergei Samek struck within minutes of each other to leave the Anfield outfit a large deficit to overcome in a week’s time.

The loss comes in the aftermath of defeat against West Brom, and Gerrard is now looking towards the weekend game against high-flying Swansea as a chance to right recent wrongs.

“We’re obviously down. On the back of two defeats, it’s a difficult moment but we need a reaction,” he told the club’s official website.

“We’ve got a big game in a couple of days against Swansea and we need to bounce back.

“Up until the 70th minute agains Zenit, the game was under control. It as a tough night in tough conditions. We’re disappointed with the two sloppy goals we conceded, but the tie is not over. If anyone can pull it back, it’s us.”

Liverpool have been involved in many European comeback over the years – most famously against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final – and Gerrard hopes the fans will play a major part when Zenit travel to Merseyside for the second leg.

“We’ll have an advantage with our supporters,” he added.

“If they can create the noise they’re capable of, get behind the team and we can get an early goal, it’s game on.

“But we are disappointed. It wasn’t the result we wanted – we wanted an away goal and to try and sneak away with a clean sheet, but if you concede sloppy goal, you get punished and that’s what happened.”

The Northern Irishman believes the Reds can still qualify for the last 16 but conceded that his side gave “two poor goals away” and stressed the need to be “more clinical”

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists his side still have a “fighting chance” of qualifying for the last 16 of the Europa League despite falling to a 2-0 first leg defeat to Zenit St Petersburg in the round of 32.

The Northern Irishman could only watch anxiously as second half strikes from Hulk and Sergey Semak condemned the Reds to their second defeat on Russian soil this season.

But Rodgers believes the deficit is “retrievable” – especially if Liverpool can score first in the second leg, while he also thinks his side’s overall performance was good enough to earn them victory in St Petersburg.

“[2-0] is retrievable and gives us a fighting chance,” Rodgers told reporters. “The next goal will be vitally important in the tie and if we can get it, it will give us momentum.

“I thought we looked solid and a threat going forward and could have been in the lead at half-time.

“But we gave away two poor goals tonight. We ended up losing the game when we should have won it.”

Amid pre-match fears of racist supporters, Rodgers was also keen to thank those in St Petersburg for their welcoming hospitality, but he did state the need for his side to be more clinical.

“I want to thank the people of St Petersburg for their hospitality and how we’ve been received here.

“In 6 to 12 months’ time, we won’t be making those mistakes. This is part of our growing pains as a group. We have to be more clinical.”