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Chelsea logo
Premier League
Apr 4, 2015 at 5.30pm UK
 
Stoke logo

2-1

Hazard (39' pen.), Remy (62')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Adam (44')

Live Coverage: Jose Mourinho's weekly Chelsea press conference

Follow Sports Mole's live coverage of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's pre-match press conference ahead of his side's match against Stoke City in the Premier League.
2

Jose Mourinho confirmed that he has no injured players for Chelsea's match against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

However, John Obi Mikel will miss out as he continues to work on his fitness, while Diego Costa may be left out of the starting lineup after missing international duty with a hamstring injury, although he is capable of playing.

The manager also said that his side will need to win six of their final nine league matches to win the title.

Read what else Mourinho discussed below.


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Good afternoon! Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will be speaking to the media in around 15 minutes as he prepares his side for a match against Stoke City in their first outing in two weeks.

Plenty of the club's players have been away on duty with their national sides over the last couple of weeks, so it will be interesting to hear whether everyone has returned fully fit. One player who wasn't away was Diego Costa, as injury forced him to miss Spain's internationals.

Here are some of the Chelsea players heading out for training at a slightly cloudy Cobham this morning:


Chelsea may have a comfortable lead at the top of the table, but they have got a tricky month ahead of them. They travel to London rivals QPR next weekend before facing Manchester United and Arsenal, so Mourinho will be hoping that his players return from the international break in strong form.

Mourinho almost always faces questions about the transfer window, and with the team being linked to the much-talked about Raheem Sterling by some publications this morning, the Portuguese could be asked if he's interested in the England international.

Don't forget, you'll be able to follow live coverage of this match, as well as every other fixture taking place in the top flight this weekend, from an hour before kickoff with Sports Mole, so make sure you join us tomorrow afternoon for all the team news, post-match reaction and live updates from Stamford Bridge.

The manager has just walked into the press centre, so let's see what he has to say this week.

Mourinho starts with an update on his squads fitness, confirming that Diego Costa has trained, adding: "At this moment, we have no injuries but Mikel is not selected. He's fine and working with the group, but he's tired."

Despite Costa training, Mourinho says that he will not necessarily feature: "Costa trained yesterday and today. He's not injured, but I don't know if I start with him or not. Hazard is tired because he played two matches in three days, because travelled, because didn't sleep, but we think he can recover."

On the title race, Mourinho says: "You see the points difference and it's four not five because you see the gap. It's pure mathematics. We need to win six matches and draw one. We haven't done that yet. If we are champions in the last match, I'm happy with that."

Mourinho is asked about FA chairman Greg Dyke calls for more English players to be given chances in the league. He responds: "I have not power, my opinion doesn't change opinion, I just work with the rules I'm given."

Back to Costa's fitness, Mourinho insists that the striker will not be undergoing surgery: "We don't believe in operation. We always believe operation is last the option for any injury. Diego has dedicated himself to recovering, no days off and working hard. At this moment, the muscle is fine."

Turning his attention to this weekend's opponents, Mourinho says: "Stoke are a difficult team, that's why they are where they are. They know each other very well, they are very stable."

Well, that's all from a fairly brief Mourinho today. The manager sounded a little under the weather but otherwise in good spirits as he prepares for the final stages of the Premier League season. So, make sure you join us again tomorrow to see if Chelsea can extend their unbeaten run. Until then, thanks for joining me this afternoon. Goodbye.

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Chelsea player John Terry (c) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match against Stoke City on December 22, 2014
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