Nemanja Matic: Chelsea Can Cope Without Diego Costa

Nemanja Matic has claimed Chelsea are strong enough to cope with a hypothetical Diego Costa absence, should the Spanish international be out of action for a long period due to his hamstring injury.

Even though Costa has scored eight goals in just six Premier League games since his summer move to Stamford Bridge, manager Jose Mourinho has insisted a number of times he is not at his optimum physical condition and is not able to play more than one game a week.

However, Mourinho has confirmed he will risk Costa for the Champions League game against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday evening, as the Blues need a victory following a disappointing home draw in the previous game against Schalke 04.

"Diego starts. There is a risk, yes, but he plays. We assume the risk and he plays. Hopefully everything goes well and hopefully from Tuesday till Sunday he has enough period of time to be back again on track and to play against Arsenal [in the Premier League]," Mourinho said.

With Didier Drogba out of action due to an ankle injury and Loic Remy still yet to prove his worth at Chelsea, there are some questions over how the Blues would deal with a Costa long-term injury.

But when questioned about that, Matic said: "Yes of course [Chelsea can cope without Costa]. We have all these players scoring goals.

"We always have players who can substitute for him. We have three very good strikers at the club with Didier Drogba and Loic Remy also here, so I don't fear for our future," he said, according to Standard Sport.

Nevertheless, Matic admits Costa has a big influence in the team and says the Spanish striker has helped the team to deal with Frank Lampard's departure.

"Yes. Sometimes you have a player [like Frank] who plays very good and can score every game.

"But in this moment Chelsea have different players scoring every match. Of course Diego has been doing very well and scored eight in six League games - that is not easy to do. But I think as a team we are perfect.

"It's important to have a player in form like Diego that can score in every game if possible. But we have already had 11 players scoring goals and that's good for team spirit and for the club.

"It shows we have a lot of quality in the team and every player can be decisive, in every moment. As a group we are really strong. Chelsea plays like one. Everything is going well for us."