Guus Hiddink has admitted that it is very much a case of
‘wait and see’ as Chelsea assess Didier Drogba’s fitness ahead of
Wednesday’s Champions League quarter final tie with
Liverpool.
The Ivory Coast striker sat out the victory over Newcastle on
Saturday after jarring his ankle in training and, despite initial
suggestions to the contrary, appears to be a doubt for the visit to
Anfield.
Drogba has scored five goals in 18 games against The Reds, with
two of those coming in the second leg of last season’s Champions
League semi-final, and Chelsea must now wait to see if the striker
is fit enough to add to that tally.
HIddink will assess the former Marseille star on Monday and
Drogba is likely to be given plenty of time to establish his
fitness levels ahead of the game on Merseyside.
"Drogba got injured in practice and his ankle gave a reaction on
Friday," said Hiddink.
"Let's see if he can practise on Monday and how he goes when he
is with the medical staff."
After going 2-0 up against Newcastle, Chelsea withdrew Nicolas
Anelka as a precaution ahead of their crucial Champions League
tie.
HIddink explained: “We have players and it’s also good to give
young players some experience of stadiums and tough games, that’s
why Franco [di Santo] came in, and to release Anelka as well
because we don’t know the situation with Drogba for the upcoming
days, so two reasons.”