Jose Mourinho has revealed that Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will miss this weekend's match against Hull City after picking up an injury in training.
Petr Cech will come in for the Belgian, while Cesc Fabregas misses out through suspension.
The manager also said that his side is better than the team that beat Hull last season.
Read what else Mourinho discussed below:
Good afternoon! Jose Mourinho will be speaking to reporters in around 15 minutes as Chelsea prepare to host Hull City this weekend.
The Blues' chances of going all season unbeaten came to an end last weekend as they were beaten 2-1 by 10-man Newcastle United. They're still three points clear of Manchester City in the table though.
The Portuguese manager made a host of changes to his side for their Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon earlier this week. Among them, academy player Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his senior debut. While it's unlikely that the 18-year-old will be in the side again this weekend, the manager hasn't ruled out including him again this season.
Defender Nemanja Matic will be available again, having served a suspension last weekend for picking up five yellow cards. The manager is likely to update us if any players will miss the match with injury.
After this match, Chelsea will travel to Stoke City, before facing West Ham on boxing day and Southampton two days later.
Right then, the manager is ready to talk, so let's see what he has to say this week...
Mourinho starts by comparing his side to the one that beat Hull 2-0 twice last season: "We are a completely different team to the one which played Hull at home last season. We are a better team, so are Hull. We are playing very well in almost every game, there hasn't been one bad performance. We cannot do any more than we are doing."
Mourinho points out that the team will be missing one of their key players tomorrow: "Cesc has been amazing for us but he's suspended for tomorrow so we don't think about him. We trust the other players."
INJURY UPDATE: The big news for tomorrow's match is that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will miss out: "Courtois had a little problem in training, a muscular problem, and he's not available for tomorrow."
Mourinho is asked about Manchester City's recent upturn in form. He replies: They played a final in Rome. They have lots of good players. We don't think about them. We think about us. If we win against Hull, we will be top of the league."
With six matches between now and New Year's Day, Mourinho admits that he will be using his squad: "I don't think any one player will play all six matches, maybe some will play five."
Following the news that Courtois is out, Mourinho insists that he is confident that Petr Cech can fill in: "Petr Cech had our confidence even when Courtois was playing. We know what we have, he has absolutely nothing to prove. It is a chance for Petr and a chance for Mark on the bench. It is a minor problem for Courtois."
Andre Schurrle hasn't seen much playing time this season after struggling with illness. However, the manager admits he was impressed by him and Mohammed Salah earlier this week: "Against Sporting Schurrle and Salah did well, the team did well and that was very nice for me. Salah is a player we like, we trust and he's part of our plans. He's not going anywhere."
Mourinho is asked whether Cech could leave the club in the January transfer window. The Portuguese insists that the keeper won't be leaving: "I am very comfortable with the situation. It is perfect for me that we have this fantastic situation with our goalkeepers. I don't think it is possible for him to leave in January. I read his agent a couple of weeks ago say he will not be leaving."
That's all from Mourinho for now so make sure you're back with us tomorrow afternoon to find out if Chelsea can return to winning ways. Until then, thanks for joining me this afternoon. Goodbye.
