Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho confirmed that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will continue to play but expects long-standing No 1 Petr Cech to stay and fight for his place.
Belgium international Courtois, 22, got the nod to start the season after returning to Stamford Bridge from a loan spell with La Liga champions Atletico Madrid and helped Chelsea beat Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor in their opening game.
“He is not my first choice for the rest of the season,” said Mourinho.
“He was my first choice today and today he played well enough to be first choice for the next game.
“But when you have on your side a top professional like Petr and you don’t perform you are in trouble.
“I am not in trouble and Chelsea are not in trouble. They are safe because they are both fantastic goalkeepers.”
Cech has been Chelsea’s senior goalkeeper for a decade and Mourinho is not ready to end the 32-year-old’s career at the London club.
“I want to keep him and the club wants to keep him. Hopefully he stays.
“No player is happy when they’re not playing every game but I know Petr and he will not relax.
“He will not sit in a chair and say ‘I have no chance’. He will be the opposite so I am expecting him to go the training ground on Wednesday and to be a top professional and to fight to go back into goal.”
Courtois was beaten by a superb strike from Scott Arfield as newly promoted Burnley stunned Chelsea by taking the lead.
But three goals in 17 minutes gave Chelsea the points thanks to Diego Costa’s first for the club and further goals from Andre Schurrle and Branislav Ivanovic.
Schurrle’s goal was created by a superb pass from new signing Cesc Fabregas, with Mourinho convinced the former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder is going to be a key player for his side as they look to challenge for the Premier League title.
“Fabregas was our first choice for that position,” said Mourinho.
“I know clearly the player he is because we have worked for so many years in the same league in England and in Spain.
“In Barcelona he was playing so many positions but he knows better than me his best position and he is giving us exactly what we need which is that stability and that quick thinking in midfield.”
Burnley couldn’t repeat their famous win over Manchester United from the first home game of their last taste of the Premier League in 2009/10.
But manager Sean Dyche believes the experience of starting against a title contender will help them in their quest to avoid a repeat of their instant relegation last time.
“There has to be a reality to what we are hoping to achieve this season and I think that is the top of the market, or up there,” he said.
“It’s fair to say they have so much quality in all areas they can hurt you.
“It’s a big learning curve for us but I think we started at the top end and we will learn from that experience. We kept a competitive edge and that’s important.”
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Final round
25 under - Antoine Rozner (FRA)
23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)
21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)
20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)
19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
Company%20profile
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
Winner: Miqyaas, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Shanty Star, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Alkaamel, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Speedy Move, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Quartier Francois, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
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Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
MATCH INFO
Fulham 0
Aston Villa 3 (Grealish 4', Hourihane 15', Mings 48')
Man of the match: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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