Liverpool striker Fernando Torres could be back to face Blackburn this weekend, as the Merseysiders look to rebuild their season.
Rafa Benitez saw his team ride their luck in winning the Merseyside derby at Everton, and with his star striker aiming to return on Saturday, Liverpool's fortunes could finally be on the up.
Benitez said: 'Fernando is close, but he still has some pain. We now have a week to work with him and for the physios to try to get him fit to play.
'We will monitor this every day and then decide. But we do not want to take any risks with him now, he needed three weeks of treatment and that is not fully completed yet.
'There is no deadline. We will have to decide after we have watched him working this week.'
Liverpool were a long way from their best at Goodison Park, but after edging a victory that moves them up to fifth supporters will be hopeful of a decent run over the crucial festive period.
Steven Gerrard certainly wasn't at his best, but still lacks match fitness and Benitez admitted: 'Gerrard has found it hard. He has played three difficult games in a row without training for three weeks prior, and that is tough.
'People have to understand that some players are trying very hard to help the team when they are not really fit. But they want to play, and their attitude is very positive.
'Now we have a week of training, and that I hope will see a lot more of them much fitter for the next game.'
Benitez praised the players fighting to recover from injuries, who are forcing themselves through matches.
Yossi Benayoun, Glen Johnson, Albert Riera, Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio and Gerrard are all still at various stages of recovery.
Benitez said: 'There are several players who maybe should not be out there at the moment. They are not fully fit, they are not training and they have injuries.
'But we are working so hard together. We are seeing players involved when they should really be on the treatment table.
'But they all wanted to play, to do a job for the team and to work to get us going again as a team.'
Reflecting on the crucial win over Everton, Benitez said: 'It was a big result for us, any derby win is important. But to win when we knew that Aston Villa, Spurs and Manchester City had all drawn at the weekend was very important.
'We knew that if we won then we would be much higher in the table and that will give us more confidence.
'We feel we deserved that bit of luck for the first goal, a deflection. Because a lot of bad luck has come our way over the recent weeks, and that has gone some way to evening things for us.'
Rafa Benitez saw his team ride their luck in winning the Merseyside derby at Everton, and with his star striker aiming to return on Saturday, Liverpool's fortunes could finally be on the up.
Benitez said: 'Fernando is close, but he still has some pain. We now have a week to work with him and for the physios to try to get him fit to play.
'We will monitor this every day and then decide. But we do not want to take any risks with him now, he needed three weeks of treatment and that is not fully completed yet.
'There is no deadline. We will have to decide after we have watched him working this week.'
Liverpool were a long way from their best at Goodison Park, but after edging a victory that moves them up to fifth supporters will be hopeful of a decent run over the crucial festive period.
Steven Gerrard certainly wasn't at his best, but still lacks match fitness and Benitez admitted: 'Gerrard has found it hard. He has played three difficult games in a row without training for three weeks prior, and that is tough.
'People have to understand that some players are trying very hard to help the team when they are not really fit. But they want to play, and their attitude is very positive.
'Now we have a week of training, and that I hope will see a lot more of them much fitter for the next game.'
Benitez praised the players fighting to recover from injuries, who are forcing themselves through matches.
Yossi Benayoun, Glen Johnson, Albert Riera, Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio and Gerrard are all still at various stages of recovery.
Benitez said: 'There are several players who maybe should not be out there at the moment. They are not fully fit, they are not training and they have injuries.
'But we are working so hard together. We are seeing players involved when they should really be on the treatment table.
'But they all wanted to play, to do a job for the team and to work to get us going again as a team.'
Reflecting on the crucial win over Everton, Benitez said: 'It was a big result for us, any derby win is important. But to win when we knew that Aston Villa, Spurs and Manchester City had all drawn at the weekend was very important.
'We knew that if we won then we would be much higher in the table and that will give us more confidence.
'We feel we deserved that bit of luck for the first goal, a deflection. Because a lot of bad luck has come our way over the recent weeks, and that has gone some way to evening things for us.'
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