Liverpool vs Chelsea: Diego Costa will START at Anfield, despite being omitted from Spain squad

Jose Mourinho confirms striker is ready to play in Saturday's early kick-off

Chelsea striker Diego Costa scores against Arsenal (GETTY IMAGES)

Jose Mourinho said today that Diego Costa will start against Liverpool tomorrow despite not being selected in the Spain squad for next week, and that the Chelsea striker will be better served spending the international break at the club’s Cobham training ground working on his fitness.

The Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has not selected Costa in his squad for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Belarus and the friendly against Germany, a decision that Mourinho says he agrees with but had no role in influencing. Nevertheless, he thanked the Spanish federation for agreeing to allow Costa to spend 15 days in rehabilitation.

Costa will start at Anfield tomorrow lunchtime and Mourinho also has Loic Remy fit again, giving him a full choice of players. Mourinho said: “I'm pleased, but I want to make it clear I did nothing to make it happen. He was protected in the Champions League match but, because the result was not good, I had to play him for 45 minutes.

“As a consequence of the work we're doing with him, we think he's ready to start tomorrow but obviously not to go with the national team. He'll have 15 days finally to rest and work properly, and that's fantastic news for us. Obviously, I give thanks for the decision made by the Spanish football federation, but I want to make it clear I did nothing to make it happen.”

Mourinho said in the long term that it would benefit club and country “to have a 'good' Diego, rather than a so-so Diego.”

Asked about the 2-0 victory at Anfield in April that ended Liverpool’s 11-game winning run Mourinho said that Chelsea’s win “gave the title to Man City, as simple as that.” He said: “Liverpool, with a point in that match, would have been champions. Without it, they lost the title. It meant nothing to us.

“After our [previous] defeat against Sunderland, our position was the sub-position. That match, for us, meant just professional pride you have to go for every game and try to win, but we were not in the race. It was just a match that gave the title to Man City.”