STEVEN GERRARD AND Didier Drogba could both make a return from spells on the sideline in the Carling Cup tomorrow evening.
The pair were included by Kenny Dalglish and Andre Villas-Boas in their provisional squads as both managers try to get back to winning ways following painful defeats at the weekend.
Liverpool head to the Falmer Stadium to take on Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion, while Chelsea welcome Fulham to Stamford Bridge.
Gerrard’s return to action would bring a close to his six-month absence from the Liverpool first team. The Reds’ influential captain opted to have surgery on a recurring groin problem in March and has watched from the stands as the club struggle to hit form in the early weeks of the season.
With Charlie Adam suspended for tomorrow’s third-round tie, a Gerrard-shaped hole has opened up in the Liverpool midfield, but Dalglish insists that the 31-year-old’s recovery will not be rushed.
“He has done fantastically well to get where he is,” Dalglish told the Telegraph.
We will monitor his fitness, we will see how it goes, and then we will decide between ourselves when he is fit to play.
Meanwhile, Drogba is preparing for his first bit of game time since a sickening collision with Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy three weeks ago. The Ivorian was left unconscious and hospitalised following an accidental clash while competing for a high ball.
