Chelsea vs. Sporting: Key Takeaways from Jose Mourinho's Pre-Match Presser

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho spoke about a wide range of topics ahead of the Blues' Champions League clash with Sporting CP on Wednesday. The club has already secured the top spot in Group G heading into the final fixture of the group stage.

Since Chelsea have already advanced and are faced with a busy schedule in the weeks ahead, several key players are going to miss the match. The Blues passed along exactly which big names are going to remain on the sidelines:

Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws included more information on Hazard:

Elizabeth Hudson and Saj Chowdhury of the BBC provided further comments from Mourinho on the subject of an active December.

"We have so many matches to play in December," he said. "One of the few teams that also plays in the Capital One Cup in this moment. Other teams involved in the Champions League—only Liverpool are involved."

The veteran boss admits that leaves him no choice but to pick his spots to get players some rest.

Eurosport points out Diego Costa will draw the start, though:

One exciting aspect about that is the chance to see some young players with a chance to shine. Sam Cunningham of the Daily Mail reports the promising Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to see some time against Sporting:

Dominic Fifield of The Guardian notes it was also confirmed Blues supporters can expect to see more of the rising star in the second half of the campaign:

The 18-year-old midfielder possesses a lot of potential. Giving him an opportunity to go up against Champions League competition is the next step in his development. Seeing how he performs will give the Blues an idea how far he is from making a major impact.

Count Mourinho among those eager to see what he can do:

One other topic of conversation was how Chelsea would respond after suffering their first loss of the season on Saturday. A late rally wasn't enough to overcome a 2-0 deficit against Newcastle, which recited a brace from Papiss Demba Cisse.

The Portuguese manager doesn't think it will have a lasting effect:

Ultimately, it's hard to know exactly what type of performance to expect from Chelsea given the numerous lineup changes. Mourinho probably just hopes for a solid showing without any injuries to further complicate the situation over the next month.

The most talked about thing coming out of the match will probably be the play of Loftus-Cheek. He's a player that's generated plenty of hype and now he gets a chance to play on the big stage. It will be interesting to see how he responds on Wednesday.