Torres ruled out of Atlético reunion

Liverpool FC forward Fernando Torres faces ten to 15 days on the sidelines and could be joined there by Ryan Babel after both players were injured on FIFA World Cup qualifying duty.

Three matches
Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez has indicated that Torres will miss the club's next three games with a hamstring strain – Premier League matches against Wigan Athletic FC and Chelsea FC sandwiching the UEFA Champions League trip to the striker's former side Club Atlético de Madrid on 22 October. The 24-year-old lasted only 16 minutes of Spain's 2-1 victory in Belgium on Wednesday before limping off clutching his right leg.

'Ten days'
"I am very disappointed because it looks like we will lose Fernando for three very important games," said Benítez. Spain team doctor Oscar Celada had earlier said: "It is difficult to diagnose the extent [of the injury] – whether it is a strain or a small tear." While Torres will be denied a reunion with Atlético in Group D of the UEFA Champions League, a question mark also hangs over Babel's fitness. The 21-year-old forward suffered an ankle knock in the Netherlands' 1-0 midweek win in Norway. Babel went down awkwardly in a challenge with Morten Gamst Pedersen, but is still to be examined by Liverpool doctors.