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Daniel Sturridge will hand Liverpool FC a major fitness boost by returning for the crunch title showdown with Chelsea this weekend.

The Reds striker missed Sunday’s 3-2 win at Norwich City with a hamstring problem, sustained in the previous week’s game against Manchester City.

But the problem is nowhere near as serious as first feared, and the 24-year-old is now expected to be in contention to face his former club at Anfield this Sunday.

Sturridge appeared at a Q&A session to mark the club’s new commercial partnership with Subway on Wednesday, and told a group of local schoolchildren he was “hopeful” of being fit to take on Chelsea. He is expected to resume full training with his teammates today.

A win for Liverpool against Jose Mourinho’s men would move them to within four points of a first league title in 24 years.

Even a draw would keep the Reds’ destiny firmly in their own hands, and the return of Sturridge, who has 23 goals in all competitions this season, will come as a major boost to manager Brendan Rodgers.

Rodgers will already be without Jordan Henderson, who is serving the second match of a three-game ban, while Victor Moses, on loan at Anfield from the Stamford Bridge club, is ineligible.

Chelsea, though, have absentees of their own. Both Petr Cech and John Terry are expected to miss the rest of the season after sustaining injuries in the 0-0 Champions League draw at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.

And midfielder Ramires could also be absent, after he was hit with an FA misconduct charge. The Brazilian was involved in an off-the-ball incident with Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and could face a retrospective three-game suspension. He has until 6pm today to respond to the charge.

Mourinho, as well as his assistant Rui Faria, who was sent from the touchline, have also been hit with misconduct charges. Mourinho hinted after the draw with Atletico that he would be “forced” to field a weakened team at Anfield, with the game sandwiched between the two semi-final ties.

Daniel Sturridge was talking to youngsters on a Liverpool FC Foundation programme at which the club and new partner, Subway, were kick-starting their partnership by delivering healthy range snacks to the Club’s community programmes all week.

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