Chelsea captain Gary Cahill is eager to return to action against Champions League opponents Qarabag this week.
The Blues defender was sent off just 14 minutes into the new season against Burnley for what referee Craig Pawson deemed a high tackle on Steven Defour.
The straight red card he was shown meant he missed clashes against Tottenham and Everton before the international break, as well as yesterday's trip Leicester.
He said: “It has been painful to be fair, because obviously you want to be involved and it kills you when you're not.
“I've trained near enough every day but there's no end product at the end of the week.
“And the time period it has been spread over, it has felt massive.
“The internationals have broken it up and it has been great to get some game time for England, which is always an honour.
“But not playing for Chelsea has been a disappointment and now I'm looking forward, not behind.
“It's a marathon of a season with so many games to play, so it was a setback but that's all it was."