Recovering Drogba plans Chelsea return

Didier Drogba could return for the second installment of Chelsea FC's double-header against AS Roma as he continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained in the London club's previous UEFA Champions League encounter.

'Big twist'
The Ivory Coast forward was substituted 58 minutes into the 0-0 draw at CFR 1907 Cluj on 1 October, having only recently returned from a previous knee injury. "The first few hours after I did it were really frustrating," Drogba said. "But, when I knew the cruciate ligaments were safe and it was just a big twist of the knee and ankle, I was really happy and the frustration was gone. [The knee] is feeling good. I'm working to be back on the pitch as soon as possible. I have set no targets but it will be a maximum of three weeks."

Injured trio
Group A leaders Chelsea entertain Roma on Wednesday before travelling to the Stadio Olimpico for the return on 4 November. While Drogba is definitely out of next week's game, the Blues have not revealed the extent of the injuries suffered by Ashley Cole (hamstring), José Bosingwa (knee) and Petr Čech (thigh) on international duty, with the trio all being sidelined for the second of two FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday.

Unbeaten start
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old Drogba believes Chelsea have the strength in depth to cope with the loss of any player. "I'm really confident with the team we have," he said. "Although we have a lot of injuries at the moment, it is not like two seasons ago when John Terry or Petr Čech was injured and it was a difficult time for us. I think this squad is stronger." Before the visit of Roma, Chelsea travel to Middlesbrough FC on Saturday looking to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.