Chelsea FC have been given a major boost ahead of the much-anticipated F.A.Community Shield clash against Arsenal FC on Sunday, with manager Jos Mourinho confirming that star striker Diego Costa is ‘not a concern’ ahead of the tie
Chelsea FC ended their pre-season tour of the United States with a penalty shoot-out win against European champions Barcelona, but did suffer blows in the form of injuries to defender Gary Cahill and first-choice forward Diego Costa.
Blues boss Jos Mourinho has alleviated the fans’ fears in his pre-match press conference, however, confirming that Chelsea FC have no injury worries ahead of the meeting between the fierce London rivals.
Mourinho confirms availability of Cahill and Costa
The Chelsea FC manager spoke to the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, and confirmed that he had a full squad of players to choose from for Sunday’s meeting with old foe ArsA?ne Wenger.
Addressing the doubts over the availability of Costa and Cahill, Mourinho is quoted by the club’s official website as saying: “a All good. We are fine. Jet lag is minimal, the travelling was very short, it was a very good pre-season in terms of travelling. We are in London since Wednesday morning, no problem.
“[We have] three top strikers. If one is injured, we have two. No concerns, no protections. Ita s a position where wea re very strong. Ia m not worried, match after match, and we have a fantastic group of strikers so no problem.”
Jose Mourinho says Diego Costa and Gary Cahill are both available for Sunday’s game. #CFC
a Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 31, 2015
The Portuguese was also asked about his club’s pursuit of John Stones, but strictly refused to answer any questions on the matter, saying only: “I dona t speak about players from other clubs, especially now competition starts. It starts for us and Arsenal now, and next week for everyone.”
Costa hamstring remains a concern
Although Mourinho might insist he has three top strikers available to him and that he is not concerned about Costa’s recurrent hamstring injuries, Chelsea FC fans might feel slightly different regarding the subject.
The Brazilian born Spanish international was undoubtedly one of the key players behind Chelsea’s successful title campaign last season, but appeared in just 26 Premier League games throughout the season, missing several due to his hamstring issues.
Watching their star striker collapse to the ground and then limp off against Barcelona, then, was a disturbing familiar sight for Blues fans. Surgery is thought to be an option to resolve the issue long-term, but it is not something that the former Real Madrid manager wants at this stage.
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One way or another, Mourinho must ensure this issue is resolved once and for all given just how important Diego Costa is to his Chelsea FC side.
