Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he did not start talisman Diego Costa in his side's opening Champions game with Schalke because the striker was not fit enough.
Despite scoring seven goals in his first four Premier League games, Costa only replaced Drogba shortly after Klaas Jan Huntelaar's equaliser.
And the 52-year-old Portuguese manager says midweek games will be a rarity for the 25-year-old Spaniard whose fitness is currently below par.
"Costa has a problem," Mourinho said of his striker. "If he has one week to let the muscle recover he can start a game. Playing on Saturday, three days is not enough for him to recover.
"It was not to protect for the game Sunday [at Manchester City], it was because today he was not in condition to start the game."
"He played here one match and he was perfect," Mourinho said. "He went to the national team and after the game against France he came back to us injured. He came to us [from Atletico] and he was completely fine. He had a problem again in the national team, not with us.
"Now we have the problem and now we have to resolve the problem the best way we can. Today he was not in condition to play. Sunday we believe he is.
"Next week against Bolton [in the Capital One Cup] for sure he isn't. We have to manage the situation until the moment he's completely fine. If today he starts the game, for sure he cannot play on Sunday. We have to go step by step."
It will be title-decisive when Manchester City host Costa's Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.