Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger could be poised to hand beleaguered Rafael Benitez a derby boost.
The Liverpool duo are in line to make a swift return from their respective broken metatarsals in time to be considered for the Premier League visit to Everton on Saturday week.
Both Alonso and Agger have been sidelined since scans revealed the injuries following the 1-1 Champions League draw in Porto three weeks ago.
Neither player required an operation to repair the damage and were given an initial estimate of four to six weeks on the sidelines.
Benitez revealed last week that the pair were recovering well and “two to three weeks” away from a return to the first-team squad.
Of the two, Alonso is the more likely to be available for the trip across Stanley Park to face neighbours Everton at Goodison on October 20.
It would be a major tonic for Benitez, who has become increasingly under fire for his team’s underwhelming performances in recent weeks.
Liverpool needed a last-minute goal from Fernando Torres against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to snatch a 2-2 draw and maintain their unbeaten league run.
But the continued unimpressive form is a concern with Benitez’s side facing a sequence of important games later this month, the Everton game followed by a crucial Champions League trip to Istanbul to play Besiktas and then the visit of leaders Arsenal.
And Steve Finnan believes it is imperative Liverpool now rediscover the verve that rocketed them to the top of the Premier League earlier this season.
“It’s half a dozen games now where we’ve produced poor performances, but we’ve got some big games coming up and we’ve got to get back to the form we were showing earlier in the season,” said Finnan.
“There’s a feeling of overall disappointment because we didn’t play well again and conceding two goals either side of half-time made it difficult for us. But it’s still early days and we’re still unbeaten in the league.
“It’s nice to be unbeaten in the league and the fact that we are still unbeaten and still getting results, even though we’re not playing well – apart from Wednesday night obviously – will help our confidence.”
Finnan joins the Republic of Ireland party today for the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Germany and Cyprus, one of many Liverpool players on international duty for the next fortnight.
And the right-back added: “I don’t know whether the international break has come at a good time or not.
“Sometimes it’s good to get away and play a couple of international matches, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
The Liverpool duo are in line to make a swift return from their respective broken metatarsals in time to be considered for the Premier League visit to Everton on Saturday week.
Both Alonso and Agger have been sidelined since scans revealed the injuries following the 1-1 Champions League draw in Porto three weeks ago.
Neither player required an operation to repair the damage and were given an initial estimate of four to six weeks on the sidelines.
Benitez revealed last week that the pair were recovering well and “two to three weeks” away from a return to the first-team squad.
Of the two, Alonso is the more likely to be available for the trip across Stanley Park to face neighbours Everton at Goodison on October 20.
It would be a major tonic for Benitez, who has become increasingly under fire for his team’s underwhelming performances in recent weeks.
Liverpool needed a last-minute goal from Fernando Torres against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to snatch a 2-2 draw and maintain their unbeaten league run.
But the continued unimpressive form is a concern with Benitez’s side facing a sequence of important games later this month, the Everton game followed by a crucial Champions League trip to Istanbul to play Besiktas and then the visit of leaders Arsenal.
And Steve Finnan believes it is imperative Liverpool now rediscover the verve that rocketed them to the top of the Premier League earlier this season.
“It’s half a dozen games now where we’ve produced poor performances, but we’ve got some big games coming up and we’ve got to get back to the form we were showing earlier in the season,” said Finnan.
“There’s a feeling of overall disappointment because we didn’t play well again and conceding two goals either side of half-time made it difficult for us. But it’s still early days and we’re still unbeaten in the league.
“It’s nice to be unbeaten in the league and the fact that we are still unbeaten and still getting results, even though we’re not playing well – apart from Wednesday night obviously – will help our confidence.”
Finnan joins the Republic of Ireland party today for the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Germany and Cyprus, one of many Liverpool players on international duty for the next fortnight.
And the right-back added: “I don’t know whether the international break has come at a good time or not.
“Sometimes it’s good to get away and play a couple of international matches, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
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