Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has claimed that Diego Costa will return to the team "strongly" after being dropped by manager Jose Mourinho.

The striker was named on the substitutes' bench for Sunday's goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

After warming up on the touchline, Costa threw his bib in the direction of Mourinho after learning that he would not be going onto the pitch.

"I expect Diego to come back strongly," Sky Sports News quotes Ivanovic as saying. "We start the season as a team and we have to finish as a team. Sometimes for a player who isn't playing it's difficult but it is a normal situation for the club.

"This is important. When we start losing we all know it's not about the one or two players playing badly or playing well - it's about the team.

"Diego didn't play against Tottenham but he'll be ready for the next game. He scored against Norwich - the winning goal. It's all about the team. We all have to think about that."

Costa joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2014.