Chelsea suffered a blow ahead of Wednesday night's vital
Premiership clash with Newcastle as England midfielder Joe Cole was
ruled out of their festive programme with a foot injury.
A scan revealed 25-year-old Cole had suffered a minor stress
fracture of the foot.
The former West Ham midfielder has been dogged by injury so far
this season, with a knee problem keeping him out of regular action
for two months.
His comeback was curtailed when he missed the trip to Manchester
United after suffering pain in his foot.
The problem persisted and the Barclays Premiership champions gave
Cole a scan which has revealed a stress fracture, which is likely
to keep him out until well into January.
Meanwhile, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is convinced he and
attacking partner Andriy Shevchenko can be a hit.
The Ukrainian has struggled for form since his £30.8million move to
west London from AC Milan in the summer, and was substituted in the
Blues' 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
But Ivory Coast striker Drogba, who in contrast has banged in 14
goals this season, added: 'He needs to adapt to the way the team
plays and to the league.
'That is not the most easy thing to do. But it is going well, he
makes them for me to score and I make them for him to score.
'Sometimes it is difficult to find each. I want to do something,
he's suspecting something else but that comes with time.'
Chelsea's draw with Arsenal leaves them eight points behind
Barclays Premiership leaders Manchester United, a gap they can cut
to five if they beat Newcastle at Stamford Bridge tomorrow
night.
