Diego Costa injury: Chelsea striker returns to training but Vicente del Bosque won't back down in row with Jose Mourinho

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Diego Costa could return to the Chelsea starting line-up against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday after he made his return to training.

However, Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has refused to back down from the club-against-country row with Jose Mourinho over the fitness of the 25-year-old.

Costa has missed the last three Chelsea matches with injury after he played in two matches for Spain earlier this month.

Mourinho had complained about the condition of Costa on his return from international duty, but Del Bosque has stood by his decision to play the striker.

“We’ve had no luck with Diego,” Del Bosque said. “He didn’t join us at the best time and the injuries he had didn’t help him. In some things we are very flexible and in others stubborn, and in this we are stubborn.

“I don’t know if we are right or wrong, but if we hadn’t called up Costa for the national team we’d definitely have been criticised for not having done so.”

Chelsea face a trio of important fixtures in the next week with QPR on Saturday, a trip to Slovenia to face Maribor in midweek, and then an early match at Anfield against Liverpool on 8 October; the next international break comes the week after.

Mourinho will have to decide how best to use his £32m striker if Spain are to feature him heavily in their matches against Belarus and Germany.

Veteran striker Didier Drogba, 36, has proved he is somewhat capable of filling in for Costa, with two goals in two matches against Manchester United and Shrewsbury Town.

Loic Remy remains out for a couple of weeks with a groin problem.