Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has confidence in Asmir Begovic

Asmir Begovic will start against Manchester City for Chelsea

Jose Mourinho says he has confidence in back-up goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to perform at Manchester City on Sunday and denied suggestions that Chelsea will miss Petr Cech.

The 33-year-old Czech Republic international left Stamford Bridge after 11 years during the summer to join Arsenal after playing second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois last term.

Courtois' sending off in Saturday's stuttering 2-2 home draw with Swansealed to the introduction of summer signing Begovic, with the former Stoke goalkeeper now set for his full debut at title rivals City on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

"We don't miss Petr," Mourinho said. "We've got a good keeper, the problem with Petr is not that we miss him because we have two excellent keepers.

Petr Cech of Arsenal fails to punch clear as Cheikhou Kouyate heads home

"The problem with Petr is that an opponent is better than before.

"Thibaut and Asmir are two fantastic keepers. My club did very well by getting a keeper on time and not on the August 31.

"If my club gives me a keeper on August 31, then we have a problem not just for today but also for the next match. Unless the people understand that it's not a red card and they clear the suspension."

Courtois will serve a one-match ban at the Etihad after being sent off for bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis, providing the Frenchman a chance from the penalty spot which he took.

Speaking on Saturday Night Football Jamie Redknapp felt the decision was harsh and Mourinho was clearly angered by the dismissal saying, "I expect the referees to do their job well, that's what I expect".

He also rejected the notion the Blues have started the season slowly, having also lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield.

There were some promising signs in the first half on Saturday, with Diego Costa an imposing presence having overcome a reoccurring hamstring issue to start.

"He did very well, and again the second half is very difficult because it was a big difference - one player less and a lot of effort and even so I was not expecting him to resist for 90 minutes," Mourinho said.

"But because we wanted to try to get a goal we went with him until the end and it was very important and new for us that he played for 90 minutes with such a physical performance.

"He is happy with the reaction. He is okay, happy, he is very happy and with the reaction with his body after such a hard game."

Watch Manchester City v Chelsea live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Super Sunday from 3.30pm.

Chelsea Transfer News: £17.5m deal close, Stones latest, international striker decision

Baba Rahman looks set to finalise his move to Chelsea after the Blues submitted an improved £17.5m bid.

According to the Guardian, the left-back will replace Flipe Luis despite an initial £14m bid being rejected by Augsburg.

Rahman's agent, Sascha Empacher, said: "Both clubs are still working on fine-tuning but we hope the agreement will be finalised soon."

The Ghana international only joined Augsburg last summer for £1m but had a stellar season in the Bundesliga.

The German side will replace Rahman with Karlsruhe defender Philipp Max, according to reports in Ghana.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho refused to be drawn any further on the John Stones saga.

The Everton defender has been subject to two bids from Chelsea so far, but after Roberto Martinez hit out at the speculation saying that Stones is "an Everton player full stop", Mourinho has gone quiet.

When questioned on Stones, the Portuguese tactician said in his press conference ahead of tomorrow's Community Shield: "I don't speak about players from other clubs."

In terms of players staying at Stamford Bridge, Loic Remy has confirmed his intention to remain part of the Blues' squad.

The former QPR man has been linked with Crystal Palace and West Ham this summer, but he is now keen to prove himself at Chelsea.

He said: "I want to bring everything I can to the team and I just want to do more as I think this season will be more difficult than the previous one.

"So, all the players must be better than last season and I just want to be better, play more and score more."

However, the Frenchman still has Diego Costa, and possibly Radamel Falcao ahead of him in the pecking order.

Mourinho told the Mirror: We have three top strikers. If one is injured we have two. No concerns, no protections. It’s a position where we’re very strong.

“I believe Costa is injury free, and I’m not worried about it. I go match after match. Fantastic group of strikers. So no problem.

“Falcao is ready. I like him a lot as a player. I think the team plays very well with a striker of his quality.

“It’s not just a guy who can score a goal, he is always a threat and is a guy who contributes a lot to the quality of the game.

“I’m very happy with his first week. At the start, I just worry that he adapts and that he is happy, we are happy with him and he performs and they give us what we want. To become again a super scorer, let’s see what happens.

“I was not expecting him to come here, play against Barcelona and score three goals. I was waiting for his determination to work, to be part of the team, to understand the way we play football and I am happy with that.

“Don’t forget Remy, because I am very happy with Remy, really happy with Remy. We could use two strikers, we did against Barcelona, for the last 20 minutes we played Remy and Falcao.”

Jose Mourinho brilliantly hits back at Rafa Benitez insults

The two of them were fierce rivals between 2004 and 2007 in the Premier League, facing each other in a few extremely memorable and controversial encounters. Here’s a look back at their most famous run ins. Mourinho complained about Luis Garcia’s “ghost goal” robbing him of glory. The Spaniard’s controversial strike saw Liverpool eliminate Chelsea at the Champions League semi-final stage.

Benitez hasn’t been on the receiving end of a Mourinho burn for quite some time, so he probably is now wishing his wife didn’t open this particular can of worms.

So Mrs Benitez became the latest in a long line of people to discover that, with the Portuguese, you should not dish it out if you can’t take it. “The best team lost”.

“How do you say cheating in Catalan?” “I like football. I understand football, so for this, I only speak about football”. They won matches and were exciting to watch. Barcelona and Milan too.

“‘I’m not a hypocrite”.

We can only presume his favourite former Chelsea player never heard this comment from the then Inter Milan boss.

Benitez has only ever succeeded Mourinho at Inter Milan. Reported by Benitez, this was what soured their relationship.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho (R) shakes hands with Rafael Benitez, manager of Liverpool, after their Premeirship game at Stamford Bridge, London, 17 September 2006.

Los Blancos lifted the global Champions Cup as a goalless draw was settled in their favour from the spot, and the Coach believes his team have shown a marked improvement since his appointment, most notably from a defensive perspective. Did Rafa enjoy the low pressure role, coaching children in nice parks, which presumably weren’t full of mad fans berating him as a “fat Spanish waiter”? “None”. “But, for me, Ibrahimovic is the best.” Tarring Ronnie with an mercurial-but-lazy-Swede-shaped brush. They may now be managing in different leagues but the feistiness still remains.

Mourinho guided Inter to a European and domestic treble in 2010 before leaving for Real Madrid.

“It would be a big disappointment for me”. All I can do is praise the players for their attitude and performances. When he was sacked, the club were at 6 position in the Serie A table and had been defeated by Tottenham in the Champions League.