Thibaut Courtois is confident Chelsea will overcome the absence of Nemanja Matic when they face Tottenham in the Capital One Cup final.
Matic was sent off for his violent reaction to a nasty studs-up tackle from Ashley Barnes in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Burnley that narrowed the Barclays Premier League leaders’ advantage at the summit of the table to five points.
Chelsea will now be without their midfield destroyer for the Wembley showpiece against their London rivals next weekend and for league matches against West Ham and Southampton.
“We have a difficult game next week and Matic has been very good for us this season,” Courtois told Chelsea TV.
“It’s a pity he can’t play in the final, but of course we have other players who also need to do their job. “We will still have a strong side, so I don’t think it will be a
huge problem, although of course Nemanja will be missed.”
Matic’s dismissal was the turning point of a match Chelsea were controlling, ending a dominant spell as the title favourites poured forward in search of a second after Branislav Ivanovic had fired an early opener.
Ben Mee nodded home the equaliser in the 81st minute, leaving Blues boss Jose Mourinho raging at referee Martin Atkinson over a string of perceived injustices. Mourinho stopped short of condemning Atkinson outright, but clearly blamed the official for the two dropped points, adding that Chelsea will win the title unless the ‘conspiracy’ against them succeeds. Courtois admits Matic’s departure shifted the balance of power towards relegation-threatened Burnley.
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