LIVERPOOL are sweating over the fitness of Fernando Torres after the striker limped out of the dismal defeat at home to promoted Blackpool.

Torres suffered a groin strain early on and was replaced after just 10 minutes by substitute David Ngog as the Anfield outfit slumped to a 2-1 loss.

The striker, who will have injury assessed at Melwood today, is due to meet up this week with the Spain national squad ahead of the forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifying double-header at home to Lithuania and away to Scotland.

But of more concern to Roy Hodgson will be the availability of Torres for the crucial Goodison derby against fellow Premier League strugglers Everton on Sunday week.

And Hodgson said: “Fernando has a groin strain. I don’t know how severe. They are assessing it at the moment.

"It was a surprise, we had no awareness there were any problems. I don’t know if it’s something that happened in the course of the game or not. I thought Blackpool played better than us in the first half, I don’t know if the early injury blow to Fernando had a psychological effect but I don’t think so.

"We knew they were an offensive team and we knew if we got hold of the ball there’d be chances to play the ball into midfielders and that’s what happened but we didn’t use it well.”