Mourinho 'not sure' if Chelsea can cope after Costa ban

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has expressed his disappointment over the loss of his striker Diego Costa for three matches, saying that it will be difficult for the squad to cope with the situation.

Costa was handed a three-match ban by Football association for 'violent conduct' against Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny following his side's 2-0 win over the latter during their Premier League clash on Saturday.

The 52-year-old said that it was easy to accept someone's dismissal in case of injury, but added that the present situation was entirely different and was hurting his side a lot, the Daily Express reported.

Mourinho admitted that the team had lost one of their important players for three matches, adding that he prefers to stay calm for the sake of his team.

The Spanish international was caught striking Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny with his hand twice before involving in an altercation with Arsenal's defender Gabriel on Saturday.

Subsequently, both Arsenal players were given marching orders that left Arsene Wenger's side being reduced to nine men at Stamford Bridge.

But that decision was overturned by the FA after the truth was caught on video following an appeal by Arsenal.

In a major respite, Arsenal won an appeal against Gabriel's dismissal that will allow the 24-year-old to play in Arsenal's next game against Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup.