Chelsea
Chelsea Team News: Mourinho Confirms Trio Will Miss Lisbon Game + Costa Latest
Jose Mourinho has given a team news and injury update ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Sporting Lisbon and confirmed that three players will sit out the game.
Chelsea take on Sporting Lisbon at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night with very little left to play for having already secured top spot in Group G.
Ahead of the game, Jose Mourinho has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and has given Chelseafc.com a team news and injury update.
The Portuguese coach has confirmed that with safe passage to the knockout stages of the Champions League already in the bag and a hectic domestic period on the horizon, he’ll take the opportunity to rest some of his key men.
Mourinho pointed to the fact that Chelsea are only one of two clubs – along with Liverpool – who are still in both the Champions League and the Capital One Cup, so their players have had few opportunities to get a breather.
The Blues boss admitted he’d like to give his entire squad a rest but with players ready to step in at centre-back and in attack, John Terry, Willian and Eden Hazard are the three players who will be given the night off.
Mourinho told the clubs website:
‘Terry, Willian and Hazard are on holidays,’ said the Blues boss. ‘I would like to give the whole squad the time off but we are always playing and we have good solutions for those positions, so they are off and they will not play.
‘We have so many matches to play in December, we are one of the few teams in the Premier League that also play in the Capital One Cup.
‘Of the other teams involved in the Champions League, only Liverpool are involved in the Capital One Cup, so they all have periods to rest, we don’t. This game gives me the chance to rest those players.’
Kurt Zouma is expected to step in for Terry at the back while Mohamed Salah and Andre Schurrle could be given a chance to impress in attack.
However, while some key players are ready to get a breather, Mourinho confirmed to Chelseafc.com that Diego Costa will continue to lead the line up front despite on-going concerns over the state of his niggling hamstring injury that’s plagued him all season, and 18-year-old midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek will also play some part in the game.
