Sunday 22 February 2015 14:18, UK
Thibaut Courtois is confident Chelsea will overcome the absence of Nemanja Matic when they face Tottenham in the Capital One Cup final.
Midfielder Matic was sent off for his violent reaction to a tackle from Ashley Barnes in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Burnley at Stamford Bridge and will be suspended for three matches as a result.
The ban rules him out of the Wembley showpiece against Spurs next weekend and for Premier League matches against West Ham and Southampton.
"We have a difficult game next week and Matic has been very good for us this season," goalkeeper 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,
And Courtois admits his departure shifted the balance of power towards relegation-threatened Burnley.
"It was not our best game of the season. We controlled the game but it was not easy because we knew how Burnley would play with long balls and we handled that quite well. They didn't look dangerous," said the Belgian.
"But the sending off changed the game and they became more offensive. We had to play more long balls because with a player less we couldn't pass up the field. It became hard. It's a pity, but that's football and you have to continue."
Watch Chelsea v Tottenham live on Sky Sports 1 at 4pm on Sunday March 1.
