Thibaut Courtois expects to keep his place in the Chelsea team for the Capital One Cup final but admits he has never been involved in a competitive penalty shoot-out.
It adds another dimension to a familiar selection dilemma for Jose Mourinho, who could opt for Petr Cech at Wembley, the hero of the 2012 Champions League final when he saved three Bayern Munich penalties.
The Chelsea manager could even send on Cech as a penalty expert if Sunday’s final against Tottenham is heading for spot-kicks, as his mentor Louis van Gaal did with Holland keeper Tim Krul in the World Cup.
‘We will be prepared if it’s going to penalties,’ said Courtois. ‘We all work with the goalkeeper coach and do our thing in practice. I’ve only been in one shoot-out, in a friendly tournament with Atletico Madrid.’
Courtois arrived in London last year after spending three years on loan at Atletico and has become Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper, starting 28 games this season to Cech’s 12.
Mourinho, however, keeps them guessing. Cech was a surprise starter against Everton in the Barclays Premier League two weeks ago. He produced a splendid display but was back on the bench for the next game, away at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
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