Jose
Mourinho says Diego Costa will start Chelsea's Champions League clash at
Sporting Lisbon, but Didier Drogba is out.
Blues boss Mourinho intends to risk Costa's fragile hamstrings by starting
the striker in the Group G clash at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday
night - and at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Mourinho anticipates Spain will call upon the £32million summer signing for
their European qualifiers with Slovakia and Luxembourg next month, despite
his belief that complete rest is needed to enable the forward to recover
fully from his niggling problem.
Costa has scored eight goals in six Premier League games and was only a
substitute in Chelsea's opening 1-1 draw at home to Schalke - a result which
indicated the reliance of the Blues on their new star striker.
"Diego starts," said Mourinho, who was speaking on the eve of the clash with
Sporting in the Portuguese capital.
"There is a risk, yes, but he plays. We assume the risk and he plays.
Hopefully everything goes well and hopefully from Tuesday till Sunday he has
enough period of time to be back again on track and to play against Arsenal
(in the Premier League).
"It's an important game for us tomorrow, a difficult game and if I can play
my best players and the team I think is the best team to try to get the best
result, I'm not going to make any change.
"I don't rest people. I make decisions. I don't think about Arsenal - I
think about Sporting and I'm going to start with the team that I think is
the best team."
Mourinho does not expect Spain to respect his wish not to call up Costa for
national service.
The Portuguese said: "I have the feeling that next week he goes to the
national team. I have the feeling that in the national team they will not
consider the fact that he is in trouble so tomorrow he plays and hopefully
he plays Sunday again against Arsenal.
"But in this moment I don't think about Arsenal - I think about Sporting.
And Diego starts tomorrow."
Loic Remy is the only like-for-like replacement for Costa in Chelsea's
20-man squad after Drogba aggravated an ankle problem in training.
"Drogba's going to be out for a couple of weeks," Mourinho added.
"He had a problem in a training session in the ankle. Not possible to travel
(to Lisbon) and I think not possible to recover for Sunday."
top