Jose Mourinho declined to give a prognosis on Diego Costa, who wasn't among Chelsea's matchday squad for their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, but ruled the striker out of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Maribor.
The £32million summer signing from Atletico Madrid has been hampered with troublesome hamstring injuries yet played almost every minute for Spain during the international break.
Mourinho said: "After Arsenal he went to national team, he played two big matches against Slovakia and Luxembourg, and he come in conditions where he's not available to play for his club."
Mourinho said he had "no idea" when Costa would next be available, but ruled him out of Tuesday's Champions League game and would not comment on the prospect of a return at Manchester United next Sunday.
Mourinho added: "I think he will be in great condition in mid-November to be back for the national team. That's for sure.
"Our medical department will take great care of him and mid-November he will be in perfect conditions.
"He will play for me when he has free time from national team."
Mourinho believes his unbeaten Chelsea side would be champions elect in any other championship than the Premier League after their scintillating start to the season.
Chelsea lacked "balls" in last season's defeat at Crystal Palace which saw Mourinho concede the title, but on their return to Selhurst Park the Blues secured a seventh win from eight matches this term courtesy of sublime Oscar and Cesc Fabregas goals in a 2-1 win.
"To win the title - long way to go," Mourinho said.
"If we were in another league, another profile of league, I would say immediately 'yes we will do it'.
"In the Premier League the only thing I can say is that we can do it, but in the Premier League it's difficult to say we are going to do it.
"So many good teams, so many difficulties, long way to go, very difficult runs in front of us. I don't want to say that (we will win).
"We are a better team than last season, there was a clear evolution in our team.
"The evolution is not just based on the fact that we bought two fantastic players (Fabregas and Diego Costa), because today one of them (Costa) was not playing and the team was fantastic the same way.
"Our evolution was a team evolution and I'm really pleased with that."
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