Sturridge on Mario link, Besiktas and Ba
Daniel Sturridge admits he's enjoying being back in action for Liverpool following a five-month injury lay-off – and insists he's relishing the prospect of a tough test against Besiktas tomorrow night.
Sturridge sat alongside manager Brendan Rodgers at Anfield's trophy room on Wednesday as he addressed reporters ahead of the Reds' Europa League Round of 32 encounter with the Turkish Super Lig leaders.
The England international was able to reflect with some satisfaction on the five appearances he has notched since making an explosive return against West Ham United on January 31.
Sturridge hit the back of the net within 13 minutes of taking to the Anfield turf against the Hammers - and his intervention to level the scores with an instinctive finish proved crucial against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
As Besiktas arrive at Anfield for the first time in eight years, looking to take an advantage back to the Ataturk Stadium for the second leg, Sturridge spoke of his desire to fire Liverpool to success in the tournament.
"I think every competition is important for us," said the 25-year-old. "Every game is important also. We take each game at a time, we play our football and look to get good results.
"I've got no worries. No stresses at all. I'm enjoying my football, I'm enjoying playing and I can't wait to continue playing in each game and, if selected, I'll do my best for the team.
"I know Besiktas are a good side from what I have watched in videos. They're not a team that I see every week. So I'd be lying if I said I knew everything about them.
"But I know it's going to be a good game for us. It won't be easy and I'll look forward to this game as I'm sure my teammates will. Everybody in the stadium knows it will be a great game to watch."
Reporters quizzed Sturridge about a potential link-up with Mario Balotelli, who netted the decisive goal against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in the Barclays Premier League and was influential against Palace on Saturday.
"It's important to get a relationship with every player," came Sturridge's response. "I've been out for a while and I've come back into the set-up. I'm just doing my best to help the team. It's a team game, so every relationship is important.
"From my relationship with Simon Mignolet to the strikers. It's important with everybody. I look forward to continuing to play between now and the end of the season and helping the team to get positive results and have a successful season.
"For me it's easy to play with, not just Mario, but with any of my teammates. I enjoy playing with Mario. I think he's a great guy. I get along with him. I feel we can have a successful partnership. It's down to the manager to choose which team he feels [is best].
"But I think I can play with [Mario] or any of the players in the team. I get along with everybody and you have to adapt your game to each individual. Whether it's Mario or another one of my teammates, I'll do my best to help and make sure it works for the better of the team."
Former Chelsea forward Demba Ba, who netted the goal which helped to end Liverpool's 11-game winning streak at the end of the 2013-14 season, has played a big part in helping Besiktas climb to top of the table domestically.
Sturridge admits the striker could pose a threat under the floodlights in L4 tomorrow night - but the No.15 insists he and his teammates will be focusing solely on what they have to offer in the clash.
"He's got a good goalscoring record in England from his history here," said Sturridge. "He's obviously a player who can score goals.
"But we're not trying to pay too much attention to individuals. We're going out there to do our jobs, play the Liverpool way, enjoy the game and that's the most important thing to us."