The Ivory Coast international has bagged five goals in five appearances against the Blues, including a pair in the 6-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last October, and Blues boss Sven-Goran Eriksson knows all about Drogba’s finer points.
“He’s a very good footballer,” says Sven. “He makes clever runs and physically he’s in top condition.
“Once he’s gone behind a defender, he’s gone – he’s very difficult to catch because of his pace and his size as well. You’ve got to take the long route to get around him, he’s a fantastic player and has been for many years.”
Drogba is one of a host of world-class players that Avram Grant can call upon tomorrow, but Sven is calling on his players to ignore reputations in the hunt for three vital points.
“You have to raise your game against players like this, stand up to them and not be afraid of them. If that happens and you give them half a yard, they’ll make you pay for it. I hope that we are at the top of our game and that we stand up to them.
“After last Saturday, we have to give a real performance. It would be crazy to give up now, we still have a real chance of Europe so we have to take it.”
