Will Sturridge Start? How Liverpool should line-up against Chelsea

Can Daniel Sturridge overcome his niggle and make it to the starting XI?

When Chelsea and Liverpool kick-off at Anfield on Sunday, the next 90 minutes will have huge repercussions on the Premier League title race.

A win for the home side would end Chelsea’s chances of winning the title, leaving just Manchester City as the only threat. With Jose Mourinho expected to field a weakened side in preparation for Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final three days later, the chance for Liverpool to blow away their opponents is staring them in the face.

Reports suggest that due to Petr Cech’s injury, Hilario will start against Liverpool to keep 41-year-old Mark Schwarzer fresh for the second leg against Atletico Madrid. It could be a seriously weakened side but as Brendan Rodgers pointed out – it will be more expensive than Liverpool’s first XI.

Here is the suggested line-up that Rodgers should go with at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet

Simon Mignolet directs his defence during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool

Like most teams, Mignolet picks himself. Brad Jones is his deputy and nowhere near good enough to start for a Premier League side so the Belgian must play. He has saved Liverpool on a number of occasions with fantastic saves despite showing some awkward moments, like at Norwich City last week.Mignolet dropped a cross to Gary Hooper’s feet allowing the former striker to pull a goal back just as Liverpool were under pressure – they held on though thanks to his point-blank save in the second half.

Right-back: Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson (R) vies for the ball with Sunderland’s English forward Lee Cattermole

Another player who pretty much picks himself. Rodgers only truly has two full-backs to choose from in Johnson and Jon Flanagan and with the ‘Scouse Cafu’ on the left wing, Johnson gets the right to himself.He had a really poor run of games earlier in the season but sorted himself out when he returned from injury and has played a big role in the club’s recent run of excellent form. However, in the last game at Carrow Road, he looked incredibly nervous, despite being the only player in the squad to have won the Premier League.

Centre-back: Martin Skrtel

Martin Skrtel of Liverpool celebrates his goal against Manchester City

He has been brilliant this season, it has to be said. He had his doubters – myself included – but Skrtel has turned it all around and now looks unbeatable. Should he and Mamadou Sakho be given a chance to mature their partnership at the back, they could become a formidable duo.Skrtel has made 403 clearances this season, more than any other player in the league.

Centre-back: Mamadou Sakho

Mamadou Sakho of Liverpool competes with Alvaro Negredo of Manchester City

He had a shaky ten minutes against Norwich City but other than that, he was superb. He misplaced just two passes and has one of the highest pass accuracies in Europe with 92%.Sakho is a monster of a defender and, if given time and offered support, he could grow into the best central defender in the Premier League. His relationship with Skrtel looks good and there is no need to break that up this weekend, especially if Demba Ba starts for the Blues. His physical presence will be needed to match up to Ba.

Left-back: Jon Flanagan

Jon Flanagan of Liverpool competes with Juan Mata of Manchester United

I’d already given this one away a couple of pages ago but it was quite obvious anyway. Flanagan has been brilliant since earning his place in Brendan Rodgers’ first-team. He’s learned a lot but still keeps improving. He lacks pace but makes up for it with his thinking on the field and reading of the game.He averages around three successful tackles per game which is one of the highest in the squad and more than Luke Shaw, the man many are tipping for huge success at left-back in England.

Defensive midfield: Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard applauds the crowd after the final whistle at Carrow Road

Gerrard has been magnificent this season, especially over the last couple of months. He knows how important these last few games are and he will not let his slide slip and get go of their grip on the Premier League title.A win against Chelsea will be their biggest yet and all-but seal the club’s 19th league title. He feels the pressure but he’s using it to kick him and his team on to bigger and better things.Gerrard is the first name on the team sheet and it is no surprise given his displays and leadership in 2014.

Central midfield: Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool

I wrote earlier in the week of the importance Coutinho will have against Chelsea. He has the key to unlock their door and let Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling in.The Brazilian is simply majestic in the big games at Anfield and scored the winning goal against Manchester City the last time Liverpool played at home. He is sure to be fired up for Sunday’s game and could have another huge role to play.

Central midfield: Joe Allen

Liverpool’s Welsh midfielder Joe Allen (L) vies for the ball with Norwich City’s Scottish midfielder Robert Snodgrass

On the opposite side of the midfield diamond to Coutinho is Joe Allen, replacing Jordan Henderson who is serving the second of his three-match ban.He is superb on the ball and even better when pressurising opposition players. Allen has won 49 tackles in just 21 appearances this season and is a vital cog in a pressing midfield machine. One can see why Rodgers likes to bring Allen in when he feels extra pressure to control midfield. His presence will be felt on Sunday.

Attacking midfield: Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling of Liverpool competes with Chico Flores of Swansea

The young attacker has been absolutely phenomenal this season. He has scored 9 goals and was the match-winner against Norwich, scoring twice and assisting the other in a 3-2 win. Even when Suarez and Sturridge are off form or not playing, the Reds have someone who can step up and make the difference.At just 19 years of age, Sterling is growing and improving at an unstoppable speed and could take the world by storm in the World Cup over the summer. He is superb and Rodgers has converted him from a winger to an all-round attacking force who’s capable of dropping deep or finding pockets of space in front and behind defenders. He destroyed Man City and could do the same to Chelsea if they’re not careful.

Striker: Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Arsenal

The 30-goal striker is undroppable, it is as simple as that. The Uruguayan has been sensational this season, scoring more league goals than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He will scoop up the player awards for this season and should he carry on, will be in the running for the Ballon d’Or at the end of the year.He needs just two more goals in the final three games to break the Premier League’s 38-game goal scoring record that stands at 31 goals, held by Ronaldo and Alan Shearer. Five goals in the final games will give him the outright Premier League record.Liverpool need him to have another fantastic performance to beat Chelsea – I’m sure he’ll be up to it.

Striker: Daniel Sturridge

Yaya Toure of Manchester City competes with Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool

Should the Englishman recover from his hamstring injury in time, he could start and link back up with his partner in crime, Luis Suarez.Sturridge has scored 20 goals and assisted another seven in the league this season to impress everyone. Such are his efforts, he has made the final list of nominees for the PFA Player of the Year award. He fully deserves to be on the list, although he will not win it. His strike partner will.Take nothing away from Sturridge, though. His displays and results this season and been majestic and he will no doubt lead England’s attacking line at the World Cup in the summer. Sturridge scored against his former side last season and will be hoping for a repeat of that again this weekend.