Chelsea’s Diego Costa unlikely to face Manchester United

Chelsea expect to be without Diego Costa for their trip to Manchester United on Sunday with the Spain forward, who has been hampered by hamstring trouble all season, now suffering from a groin strain apparently sustained while on international duty.

The striker was also hospitalised last week with a severe stomach bug and has failed to train properly since returning to England after his country’s Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg, of which he played all but eight minutes. While the hamstring problem would have required rest – he has now missed his team’s last two games – to be cured, the 26-year-old has undergone intensive treatment this week on the groin complaint but there is acceptance within the club’s medical staff that it is unlikely Costa will be able to start the game at Old Trafford.

José Mourinho had suggested this weekend, after omitting the Brazilian-born forward from his squad for the victory at Crystal Palace, that the €40m signing from Atlético Madrid had been ruled out by the hamstring injury which has dogged him all term. Yet it appears the groin injury is the principal concern at present with the illness clearly also untimely.

Chelsea are awaiting the results of a scan on the groin injury sustained by Loic Rémy sustained by the Frenchman while scoring his team's opening goal in the 6-0 midweek rout of Maribor. The player himself is hopeful he will be fit enough to feature at United, though the club's medical staff have been more cautious to date. That would leave Didier Drogba, who has suffered his own ankle injuries to date this term and admits he is short of match fitness, as the team's only fit senior forward against Louis van Gaal's team.

The hugely promising teenager Dominic Solanke, who made his debut as a substitute on Tuesday, is likely to be included in the squad which travels to Manchester. Andre Schürrle, who began the corresponding fixture last season – a goalless draw – in a striker's berth, should also be fit after flu ruled him out of Germany's Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland.