Chelsea don't miss Cech, says Mourinho

Mourinho was not keen on allowing the 33-year-old Cech to join London rivals Arsenal after 11 successful seasons with the champions, but the manager insists he is happy with the goalkeeping options at his disposal.

(Reuters)

"We don't miss Petr," Mourinho was quoted as saying by the British media. "We've got a good keeper, the problem with Petr is not that we miss him because we have two excellent keepers.

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

Cech opted to move to Arsenal after finding himself playing second fiddle to Belgian international Courtois, who Chelsea recalled from loan at Atletico Madrid last season.

Chelsea bought Stoke City keeper Asmir Begovic as a back-up to Courtois following Cech's transfer.

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

Courtois is banned for the match at the Etihad Stadium after he was sent off against Swansea for a foul on striker Bafetimbi Gomis, which earned their opponents a penalty and allowed them to draw the game 2-2.

(Reporting By Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)