Sturridge and Henderson Set To Miss West Ham Clash

While it's unlikely that fans had bet the house on Daniel Sturridge's involvement in Liverpool's match against West Ham given Sturridge's injury history, it will still be a letdown to hear that he's once again set to miss out. This time it's not because of another setback, but rather because Klopp has chosen not to risk the fragile striker. Instead, he's been charged with continuing his rehabilitation while the rest of the team is in London. After so many relapses, no one can be angry that Klopp has chosen to play it safe for this match.

Would it have been nice to see Daniel Sturridge participate in the busy festive period? Well, of course, but fans and the team have gotten unfortunately used to his prolonged absences. At this point, Sturridge feels like an added bonus instead of an important member of Liverpool's set up. When he plays, it's always great fun, and he appears to never need re-adjustment time. But the the stretches of matches when he's available are getting shorter, and the wait between them longer. Liverpool made the decision to buy Christian Benteke and Danny Ings in the summer because they realized that they couldn't create a team around Sturridge, no matter how spectacular a player he may be.

After a strong start, Ings got sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. Benteke, while often frustrating, has scored goals when it counted and won Liverpool's last two games for them. He'll need to step up again on Saturday, because in addition to Sturridge, captain Jordan Henderson will also miss the game.

Henderson went off injured at the end of the last game against Sunderland, so his inclusion on Saturday was always in doubt. Whether it is a precaution or the beginning of another significant injury layoff is not yet known. Henderson has been experiencing a problem with the heel of his foot for some time now, and that, along with a broken foot, caused him to miss most of the first half of the season. Liverpool fans will be concerned that the tally of missed games may increase after this most recent setback.

Also set to miss the game are striker Divock Origi and vice-captain James Milner. With Milner and Henderson both gone, that will mean the return of either captain Sakho or captain Lucas when the Reds head to the Boleyn Ground to take on West Ham.