Loic Remy will return the Chelsea squad for Saturday’s trip to Liverpool but Jose Mourinho has decided to start with Diego Costa.

Costa was today omitted from the Spain squad for their forthcoming Euro 2016 with Belarus and a friendly fixture with Germany.

He will start for the Blues at Anfield though and will keep a fit-again Remy waiting for his chance after recovering from a groin injury.

It was thought the Frenchman would remain sidelined until after the international break and his comeback is a boost against the club that almost signed him in the summer.

Starting: Chelsea's Diego Costa

Mourinho admits Costa’s omission from the Spanish squad has pleased him but claims he made no call to Vicente Del Bosque to keep him out of the setup.

“'I'm pleased but I want to make it clear I did nothing to make it happen,” he said ahead of Saturday’s trip to take on the Reds.

"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.

Major doubt: Daniel Sturridge

"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."

Meanwhile, Liverpool have injury problems of their own up front and it is likely that Danny Sturridge will miss the chance to haunt his old club this weekend.

Follow all the build-up, matchday action and post-game reaction to  Liverpool v Chelsea  on GetWestLondon.