
Thibaut
Courtois is confident Chelsea will overcome the absence of Nemanja Matic
when they face Tottenham in the Capital One Cup final.
Midfielder Matic was sent off for his violent reaction to a tackle from
Ashley Barnes in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Burnley at Stamford Bridge and
will be suspended for three matches as a result.
The ban rules him out of the Wembley showpiece against Spurs next weekend
and for Premier League matches against West Ham and Southampton.
"We have a difficult game next week and Matic has been very good for us this
season," goalkeeper Courtois told Chelsea TV.
"It's a pity he can't play in the final, but of course we have other players
who also need to do their job.
"We will still have a strong side, so I don't think it will be a huge
problem, although of course Nemanja will be missed."
Matic's dismissal was the turning point of a match Chelsea were controlling,
And Courtois admits his departure shifted the balance of power towards
relegation-threatened Burnley.
"It was not our best game of the season. We controlled the game but it was
not easy because we knew how Burnley would play with long balls and we
handled that quite well. They didn't look dangerous," said the Belgian.
"But the sending off changed the game and they became more offensive. We had
to play more long balls because with a player less we couldn't pass up the
field. It became hard. It's a pity, but that's football and you have to
continue."