Manager Jose Mourinho has said there is no chance of Chelsea being complacent when they face West Brom at Stamford Bridge later today.
The Blues are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions this season, and top the Premier League with nine wins from their 11 games.
But the Baggies have only lost one of their last five matches against Chelsea, winning two – and drawing both games last season.
“There is no complacency, that’s for sure,” Mourinho said. “If we lose [a game this season] – and I believe we will – it will not be because of complacency. It will be because football is football.
“Our game against Maribor, where we lost two points in the Champions League, was not complacency.
“Their goalkeeper was man of the match and we missed lots of chances. We played tremendously well in the second half.”
Chelsea face 11 games in just over a month in December and then play again on January 1. Mourinho’s men then have an FA Cup fixture to be played on the weekend of January 3/4.
“I go match by match,” the Portuguese added. “We have eight league games, plus two Champions League games plus one in the Capital One Cup.
“But my game is against West Brom. It not against West Ham on the 26th or against Tottenham or Stoke.
“I expect to win but I expect a very difficult match I always expect to win. We go to every match thinking about that.
“They have a good team. I expect a tight match against a team that know they can get a result against us.”
And Mourinho has welcomed Diego Costa’s return to full fitness and the chance for the striker to play without worrying about his hamstring injury after a much-needed rest and spell of treatment during the international break.
Mourinho added: “He feels – and the way he trains and expresses himself – he has a free mind. He is free of the fears. He is good.”
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This post was last modified on 22/11/2014