Daniel Sturridge ‘still a bit off starting’ for Liverpool, says Brendan Rodgers

Daniel Sturridge is 'still getting used to the surroundings again ... it's just about bedding him back in' says Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers ahead of their FA Cup replay with Bolton.

Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool comes on as a substitute during his team's Premier League win against West Ham United on Saturday. Shaun Botterill / Getty Images / January 31, 2015

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has hinted he will make changes for Wednesday's FA Cup fourth-round replay at second-tier Bolton Wanderers, but still expects his side to progress.

Neil Lennon’s Bolton earned a replay at the Macron Stadium after battling to a 0-0 draw at Anfield on January 24.

Liverpool have lost only once in their last 12 matches and that was the extra-time defeat by Chelsea in the League Cup semi-finals last week.

With the Merseyside Derby against Everton on the horizon on Saturday, as well as Europa League fixtures with Besiktas later in the month, Rodgers is keen to protect his players from an intense workload.

But he remains fully focused on reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup, where Crystal Palace lie in wait.

“When you have so many games, you have to plan forward and look at that,” Rodgers said.

“I always believe the next game is very important and I always pick a team I believe can win the game. It will be a tough game for us, as we saw at Anfield.

“We’ve got a big month coming up. We want to continue in the cup competitions as well as keep the momentum going in the league.

“We’ve got a good squad of players who I trust and believe in and where I need to change and rotate, I’ll do that. The objective is still the same – to get three points or to get through to the next round.”

Since the initial meeting with Bolton, Liverpool have welcomed key striker Daniel Sturridge back after injury and the England international scored as a substitute against West Ham United on Saturday.

It was Sturridge’s first Liverpool appearance since August last year and Rodgers says he will work carefully to integrate the 25-year-old back into the team.

“He’s still a bit of time off starting,” the Northern Irishman said.

“You saw in the period when he came on, he was still getting used to the surroundings again in the 25 minutes or so he had on the pitch, so it’s just about bedding him back in.”

Steven Gerrard’s next appearance for Liverpool will be his 700th for the club, but Rodgers would not reveal whether that will be at Bolton or against Everton at Goodison Park.

Bolton performed admirably at Anfield to force the replay, but their performance was based on a solid defence.

With Liverpool old boy Emile Heskey, 37, partnering Eidur Gudjohnsen, 36, up front, Bolton’s ability to counter-attack was limited and Lennon hopes to cause more problems in the replay.

“I think the game will be pretty much the same way in that they will have the bulk of possession,” Lennon said.

“But I think we will be able to create more at home. Certainly the first game was more about limiting Liverpool to the least possible chances and maybe hitting them on the counter-attack.

“But the problem we had on the counter-attack was we had Heskey and Gudjohnsen, so we weren’t blessed with blistering pace.

“We might just change up the personnel a little bit to give us a little bit more impetus in terms of pace in attacking areas.”

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