Daniel Sturridge fitness update: Liverpool striker set to play against Chelsea this weekend

The England striker is hopeful he will be ready for Sunday's game - and won't have a problem celebrating against his former club

Daniel Sturridge has 20 goals for Liverpool this season (EPA)

Daniel Sturridge is hopeful he will be ready to play for Liverpool in the crucial Premier League encounter with Chelsea on Sunday.

The England striker missed Liverpool's last outing - the 3-2 win over Norwich - but appears to have recovered from a niggling hamstring injury.

He said: "Hopefully, this weekend I'll be back. I'm not too sure if the manager will play me or not. We'll have to see."

Sturridge will be desperate to play in the game. Victory at Anfield for the Reds will extinguish Chelsea's lingering hopes of winning the title and put their own chances of a first title since 1990 one step closer.

Personally for Sturridge, it will also be an opportunity to show his former club what they gave up when they sanctioned his sale to Liverpool for a fee in excess of £15m in January last year.

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Sturridge says if he adds to the 20 league goals he already has to his name, he may not be able to stop himself from celebrating.

"I would like to show respect to my former club but if I were to come on and score in the last minute I'm going to be on a mad one, aren't I?," he said. "I don't know if I could control myself."

Chelsea may already be ruing his sale to Liverpool - Sturridge's tally is more than Chelsea trio Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have managed between them.

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson, who will miss the match through suspension, said: "Daniel is a massive player for us. The last game against Norwich I thought we did brilliantly but it's always a bonus to have a player like Daniel back."