• Chelsea 1-1 Schalke, Champions League

Costa can't start three games a week, admits Mourinho

Jose Mourinho said Diego Costa is not currently fit enough to play three games a week © Getty Images

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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says Diego Costa did not start his side's opening Champions draw with Schalke because the striker was not fit enough.

Mourinho's side laboured to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday but wasted several clear chances to kill the game off. Despite scoring seven goals in his first four games for the club, Costa was only named as a substitute as Mourinho opted to start Didier Drogba instead.

"Diego Costa is not in condition to play three matches in a week," Mourinho told Sky Sports after the game.

"He has problems when he plays one game, he needs a week to recover and now playing matches Tuesday and Wednesday he can't do it. He was not in a condition to do more than he did."

Costa, a £32 million summer signing from Atletico Madrid, replaced Drogba shortly after Schalke equalised through Klaas Jan Huntelaar but the Spaniard failed to make an impact.

The forward sparked fears after he withdrew from the Spain squad to face Macedonia in the recent international break, citing a hamstring injury. Mourinho, however, quashed worries over Costa's fitness before the striker returned to score a hat-trick against Swansea last weekend.

Mourinho said: "He [Costa] went to the national team and after the game against France he came back to us injured. He came to us [from Atletico] and he was completely fine. He had a problem again in the national team, not with us.

"Now we have the problem and now we have to resolve the problem the best we can. Today he was not in condition to play. Sunday [against Manchester City] we believe he is.

"Next week against Bolton [in the League Cup] for sure he isn't. We have to manage the situation until the moment he's completely fine. If today he starts the game, for sure he cannot play on Sunday. We have to go step by step."

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