Sotirios Kyrgiakos could be back in the first eleven for our trip to Stoke City on Saturday - though Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger and Joe Cole all remain on the sidelines.

Kyrgiakos has almost recovered from tonsillitis and Roy Hodgson will make a late decision on whether to include the big Greek in his side.

The manager told Liverpoolfc.tv: "Soto, we think, will be okay, though he's still feeling the effects of the tonsillitis.

"Joe Cole (hamstring) and Glen Johnson (adductor) haven't recovered to play any part in the game.

"Daniel Agger (calf) is making progress but it's going to be a few more weeks before he joins us fully in training."

Goalkeeper Brad Jones is also fit again and should return to the bench.

With little change on the injury front, Hodgson is unlikely to make many changes from the team that drew 1-1 at the DW Stadium on Wednesday night.

Click on the play button to watch our chat with the boss

"I'm rather hoping that the two and a half days we'll have had after Wigan will have given us time to recover," he said. "I don't think we've got that many possibilities to make too many changes.

"We've got senior players like Johnson, Cole and Agger who are not fit to take part in the game, and then it's young players: the Shelveys, the Spearings, the Kellys and the Wilsons. There isn't an enormous luxury to make wholesale changes.

"If we do make any at all it will be the odd one here and there because the team is functioning well.

"The guys who played against Wigan and Chelsea had a very light training session on Friday - mainly just recovery and prevention of injury. A little bit of movement, but nothing serious.

"We're very aware that it's three very important games in six days, so we don't want to leave anything on the training field. We want all our energy, vitality and intensity when we go into the match."