Luis Suarez Boosts Liverpool's Derby Hopes as Uruguay Qualify for World Cup

Liverpool fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Luis Suarez has come through Uruguay's World Cup qualifying playoff matches with Jordan unscathed and will return to England in good spirits ahead of the Merseyside derby.

As reported by Paul Collins of the Daily Mail, Suarez's flight time of 16 hours and 36 minutes—a total of 13,498 miles from Montevideo to Liverpool—will see the striker link up with his club teammates ahead of the important Goodison Park clash.

Suarez's healthy return to the Premier League will have been top of the agenda for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool fans, who are likely to believe Uruguay could have secured World Cup qualification without their key man.

Oscar Tabarez's side led 5-0 after the first leg saw them brush Jordan aside, a match Suarez failed to influence with goals. Despite such a hefty scoreline, the Uruguay boss played Liverpool's prized asset for the entire match during a dire second-leg encounter that ended 0-0, reported by Goal.com.

Rodgers may be disappointed Suarez was forced to exert himself so vigorously in a fixture that was settled before the second tie took place. Although forgivable given the circumstances, he will be pleased to welcome Suarez back in time for a showdown with Roberto Martinez's tough Toffees outfit.

Suarez has scored eight goals in six league games this season, reported by WhoScored.com.

His most recent strikes came in the 4-0 win over Fulham, a match which saw the former Ajax forward notch up a brace and send the Reds to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

A win over Everton in this weekend's early kick-off would see Suarez and Liverpool claim the domestic division's top spot, for a few hours at least.

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