By ADAM TROXTELL

Chelsea striker Diego Costa is determined to start against Manchester City on Saturday by fighting his impending ban.

Costa was charged by the FA on Wednesday for allegedly stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can during their League Cup semifinal match, and a ban could keep him off the field for the weekend’s top of the table clash. He will plead his innocence to a charge of violent conduct, and Chelsea will reportedly support him to avoid a potential three-match ban.

Manager Jose Mourinho did not speak at length about at least two incidents involving Costa after the Liverpool match, and he may not be heard from for a while longer. Chelsea canceled their pre-match press conference scheduled ahead of the Manchester City match.

“If I speak, the FA will punish me as they always do, so I think it’s better for you to do it,” Mourinho told reporters after the Liverpool match.

Mourinho was fined by the FA earlier this week for alleging that their was a campaign against his club after their game against Southampton.

Here are more news and notes from Europe:

ESPANYOL, ATHLETIC BILBAO ADVANCE IN COPA DEL REY

A late second leg effort from Sevilla was not enough as they were beaten by Espanyol on aggregate in Thursday Copa Del Rey action.

Diogo Figueiras finally scored for Sevilla in the 88th minute for a 1-0 home win, but Espanyol had already built a strong enough lead to advance 3-2 on aggregate. The result broke a four-game winning streak for Espanyol.

Elsewhere, Aritz Aduriz scored in the 48th minute to give Athletic Bilbao the only goal they needed to get past Malaga. Villarreal finished off Getafe in their second leg to advance 2-0 on aggregate.

POGBA’S AGENT SAYS HE WILL LEAVE JUVENTUS

Paul Pogba’s rising stock appears to be leading him away from Italy.

The French midfielder’s agent, Mino Raiola, said his client will likely leave Juventus within the next year-and-a-half. The Turin-club recently tied him down to a contract that runs until June 2019, but Raiola told Gazzetta dello Sport that the 21-year-old will leave sooner or later.

“I want the club that buys him to believe in him and be willing to pay for him,” Raiola said. “If Paul leaves Juventus, it is for the absolute top. If it does not happen this year, it will be next year.”

Pogba is reportedly on the radars of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, former club Manchester United, and Chelsea. Raiola went on to say the transfer fee for Pogba could easily exceed $111 million.

—-

What do you think of Costa and Chelsea’s decision to fight the charge? What do you expect from the Copa del Rey going forward? What team do you expect to make a run at Pogba?

Share your thoughts below.