Joe Cole is back for Liverpool tomorrow at Manchester United.
The midfielder has served his suspension after a red card on his league debut.
Cole said: "This will be a yardstick for how far we can go this season.
"It's a big derby and I'm more than ready.
"We've had such a difficult start with suspensions and people missing pre-season. Mine seemed to last ages and I just want to get back into it now.
"There was a lot of frustration there. It's been a bit stop-start."
Cole got his marching orders for a two-footed lunge on Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.
But he said: "I wasn't going out there to hurt the fella. I had to make the tackle. Imagine in the first game of the season you don't try and shut the ball down.
"Unfortunately, the ref thought differently."
