CHELSEA have opted not to appeal against the red card meted out to Jose Bosingwa on Sunday in order to ensure he is available for the visit of Arsenal on Saturday.
It is another sign that the Carling Cup has become less of a quest for the club under the new boss, who admits the Premier League clash with Gunners is on his mind.
Andre Villas-Boas does not agree with the sending off against QPR, feeling John Terry was covering as Bosingwa (pictured) hauled down Shaun Wright-Phillips.
But he will not risk an increased ban for making a frivolous appeal and would rather the Portuguese defender serve a one match ban tomorrow night when the Blues play Everton in the Carling Cup. Didier Drogba will also be suspended but might well have sat out the tie anyway.
Villas-Boas has decided not to name his team for tomorrow night, but has already said he wants to blood fringe players in the competition.
“Our challenge is to win the most amount of trophies possible, and I don't want to take out the importance of the game, but on the bigger picture, we have Arsenal coming up after a Premier league defeat and we want and need a response,” he said.
“We have the policy of playing the most amount of young players possible and we will try to stick to it, but our commitment is to try to win the game.
“There is not full happiness in the camp for sure after a defeat, but we have the right frame of mind this week.”
