Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has been ruled out for up to four weeks with a calf injury, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Friday.
"Daniel will probably be out three to four weeks," Rodgers said.
"Unfortunately he has picked up a calf problem so he will be out for a while."
There was better news for fourth-placed Liverpool on the injury front ahead of their Premier League trip to StokeCity on Sunday with centre back Mamadou Sakho set to return to the squad after a hamstring injury.
Striker Daniel Sturridge, who last featured in the Merseyside derby against Everton on November 23, has also resumed training and will be assessed ahead of the weekend.
"Young Sakho trained today so he looks fine to be in the squad for the weekend," Rodgers added.
"We'll assess (Sturridge) over the next 24 hours. We don't need to rush him, we want to make sure he's going to be ready to make an impact in the second part of the season."
Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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