• Premier League

Sturridge out of crucial week for Liverpool

Daniel Sturridge will miss a crucial week for Liverpool with the striker out injured for their fixtures against Newcastle, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Liverpool face a tough run over the next seven days and Sturridge, whose calf problem was only expected to keep him out for two to three weeks, is set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

Daniel Sturridge adjusts his boots in training © Getty Images

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Brendan Rodgers' side travel to in-form Newcastle at the weekend before a trip to the Bernabeu in midweek, with Chelsea visiting Anfield on November 8.

Rodgers was blunt when asked if Sturridge, who hasn't played for the club since August 31 after suffering a thigh strain in England training, had any chance of featuring.

He said: "No. I don't think he will be fit."

Sturridge had suggested earlier this week that his injury problems may be "hereditary", having been sidelined on eight occasions in his 20 months at Anfield.

Asked if Rodgers thought Sturridge's injury woes would continue, Rodgers was equally blunt, saying: "Don't know."

Liverpool have struggled without Sturridge's goals this season, the striker having scored 36 in just 48 starts for the club.

They had hoped he would be available for the crucial Champions League showdown in Madrid, but Sturridge may now not return until the trip to Crystal Palace on November 23, according to the Daily Mirror, despite tweeting on Thursday that he was "feeling good right now, closer to full fitness each day".

Rodgers added: "When you have that talent, you just have to keep yourself fit and available as you possibly can. But the bottom line is he is injured. He has strained his calf so he is injured.

"We will work with him and hopefully we will get that bit of luck when he comes back. When he comes back, hopefully we will have him for the rest of the season."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd