Luiz Felipe Scolari today claimed that God had helped Didier Drogba to make a quick recovery from his knee injury.

Drogba looked certain to spend a long spell out of the game when he damaged knee ligaments during Wednesday's 0-0 Champions League draw with CFR Cluj in Romania.

But Scolari revealed that he had prayed for the striker and that the Almighty had answered him after it became clear the Ivorian could be back by the end of the month.

Scolari said: "I am religious, so I prayed for God to help me, and sometimes God helps me — sure. We were afraid about Drogba at first, more afraid than Didier himself."

Scolari's injury list is sufficiently worrying for the Brazilian to consider asking for more help from above.

Drogba will definitely miss Sunday's home game against Aston Villa, while Deco (thigh), Ricardo Carvalho (knee) and Michael Essien (knee) are also sidelined.

Scolari remains hopeful, however, that defenders John Terry, Alex and Ashley Cole will shake off back problems in time to play, while Joe Cole trained today after missing the Blues' last two matches with a hip complaint.

With Drogba certainly missing for the next few weeks, Scolari will have to rely on Nicolas Anelka to lead the attack in all competitions.

Anelka, Salomon Kalou and the 19-year-old Franco di Santo are the only strikers in Scolari's regular first-team squad, and it was suggested
to the Brazilian that he should have signed another forward while the transfer window was open in August.

But in a dig at his predecessor Avram Grant, Scolari questioned the wisdom of carrying a large squad, and echoed Jose Mourinho by insisting that a group of 24 players was enough.

Since Scolari took over at Stamford Bridge on 1 July, only playmaker Deco and midfielder Mineiro have joined the club.

By contrast, Steve Sidwell, Claude Makelele, Andrei Shevchenko, Tal Ben-Haim and Shaun Wright-Phillips have all departed, while strikers Claudio Pizarro and Ben Sahar were allowed to leave on loan along with young midfielder Jimmy Smith.

Scolari added: "Having 23 or 24 players is a very good squad. When I arrived here, there were 34 players. How can one coach work with so many? It's incredible.

"Twenty-five is the maximum, because some of our players can play in a number of positions. Juliano Belletti, for example, can play at right-back and left-back, in midfield or on the wing.

"Branislav Ivanovic and Michael Ballack are just as versatile, so why would I need 34 players?

"I don't know what will happen between now and January (when the transfer window re-opens). Maybe I will have two or three more injuries.

"But at the moment, I think I have enough players to get through the season."

The injury situation has become so bad that Scolari has had to recall untested 20-year-old Michael Mancienne — who spent the past two years on loan at Queens Park Rangers — to the squad and the defender could be thrown into his Premier League debut this weekend.

Villa are unbeaten against Chelsea in five matches in the Premier League, the corresponding fixture last season was a 4-4 Boxing Day thriller, and midfielder Frank Lampard fears that the injury-hit Blues could struggle at Stamford Bridge.

The 30-year-old said: "Aston Villa are a very good team. Every season they cause us problems, both at home and away, and they are very difficult to play against.

"They have started very well and they have a lot of pace in the team. We are going to have to be at our best to beat them."