LONDON: Chelsea striker Diego Costa was named on the bench for the Premier League champions' trip to in-form Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Costa, 27, top-scored for Chelsea with 21 goals last season, his first at the club, but has struggled this term, scoring only four times, and was involved in a first-half row with manager Jose Mourinho during the mid-week Champions League win away to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
With Costa on the bench, Eden Hazard looked set to lead the line for Chelsea ahead of an attacking midfield band of Oscar, Willian and Pedro Rodriguez, while Gary Cahill replaced injured captain John Terry at centre-back.
"It's the first time Diego is on the bench, unless he was on the bench for some little injury," Mourinho told BT Sport at White Hart Lane.
"I think it's also normal. He's playing every match and things are not going really well for his confidence."
For Tottenham, unbeaten in the league since the season's opening day, Ryan Mason came in for suspended central midfielder Dele Alli.
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