Mourinho to unleash Costa on Lisbon

Champions League Group G

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho intends to risk Diego Costa’s fragile hamstrings by starting the striker against Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal this week.

Mourinho anticipates Spain will call upon the £32 million (€40.9m) summer signing from Atletico Madrid for their matches with Slovakia and Luxembourg next month, despite Mourinho’s belief that complete rest is needed to enable the forward to recover fully from his niggling problem.