Liverpool striker Fernando Torres faces a race against time to be fit for Merseyside derby

The Reds' leading goalscorer has not played since the Champions League 1-1 draw with Lyon earlier this month due to a long-standing groin problem.

But he has made good progress under the supervision of Liverpool's medical staff in the past week and there is a chance Torres might be able to figure against Everton.

If Torres was deemed fit enough to be named in the 18 that will tackle the Blues at Goodison Park, it would give Liverpool an enormous boost.

Torres has a habit of sparkling when the stakes are at their highest and scored both goals as Liverpool won the corresponding fixture 2-0 at Goodison last September.

Boss Rafa Benitez would not give anything away about Torres' prospects of facing the Blues but he has at least issued a relatively upbeat bulletin regarding his progress.

"Fernando is training with the fitness coach and we will see how he is. We will test him to see if he is okay," said the Liverpool manager.

Benitez's side suffered the hammer blow of exiting the Champions League at the first hurdle earlier this week and there is no doubt that it has left a mark on the Liverpool squad.

Though Liverpool won for the first time in a month when beating Debrecen on Tuesday night, the atmosphere was muted given Fiorentina had beaten Lyon to eliminate them.

However, Benitez has been encouraged by the attitude he has seen around Melwood in the last 48 hours and is confident of a bold show against the Blues.

"Everybody was quiet on Wednesday and Thursday and you could see the mood was not the best but I have seen a lot of positive reactions from the players," he said.

"They have moved forward. They have said 'come on, let's go!'

"They are thinking about doing well in the Europa League, the Premier League and the FA Cup.

"These are our targets and that is the right mentality. We knew 15 days before we could be in for a disappointment (after drawing 1-1 in Lyon).

"We will just forget about it now. The next big target is Everton and we want to get three points.

"We want to improve and we want to win some games in a row.

"The reaction has been positive, everything I have read from the players has been good and that's what you would expect from good players."

* Click here for more Liverpool FC Merseyside derby news.